A Stranded Hero
by Wrath of The Sun Deity
Summary: Ben Tennyson is stranded in a new universe, with absolutely no hope of ever returning. Can he make the best out of a terrible situation or will he allow a bad situation to control the rest of his life?
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Ben Ten or Stargate Sg1**

 **Omnitrix Database comes from the Ben Ten wiki**

 **Proofread by Bigby the Big Bad Wolf**

 **Please enjoy**

* * *

The Chimera Sui Generis, Vilgax, stared at the human male in front of him with a deep sense of satisfaction. This would be the day that he finally got his revenge against the foolish human known as Ben Tennyson.

"Why are you doing this?" The man, Carl Tennyson if the ID read right, asked with a hint of fear in his voice. Vilgax glared at the human, secretly enjoying watching the human squirm under his gaze, and scoffed, "The dead need not know of my plans."

Carl paled, his fingers scratching at the green squid-like hand that found itself around his neck, "Please! We haven't done anything to you!"

Vilgax snarled at Carl, his grip on the man tightening to the point that it would be impossible to breathe, "Yes, you have! You helped create Benjamin Kirby Tennyson!"

"Ben? What does he have to do with any of this?" Carl asked, once the alien's grip on his neck loosened. A flash of green was the only warning he got before his body was flung into the wall behind him, "Everything! He has been a thorn in my side for far too long."

"So this is revenge?" Max Tennyson asked, his body being restrained by some of Vilgax's drones. His entire face was swollen from the beating that he received from the intergalactic warlord, but that didn't stop him from trying to fight back.

Vilgax scoffed, his red eyes narrowing in distaste, "You could say that... but know that after this day, Ben Tennyson will no longer be a problem!" His laughter chilled them all to the bone.

"You're a monster." A voice said from under him. He barely spared a glance at the red headed woman under his foot, before brutally stomping on her stomach.

" **GWEN!** " Kevin Ethan Levin roared, his body arching with electricity. He pulled with all his might, but the chains connecting him to the sturdy drones would not budge, " **WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?"**

"I will not allow another Tennyson to be born into this world!" Vilgax stated as he kicked the limp form of Gwendolyn Tennyson.

The electricity surrounding Kevin faded as he fell to his knees, the shock being too much for him, "She's pregnant?"

"Was... she was pregnant." Vilgax corrected, a cruel smirk playing on his lips, "When I stomped on her, I did it with enough pressure to crush her spinal cord. Do you really think an unborn child would be able to survive that?"

"You're a monster, Vilgax!" Max hissed before a strike from one of the drones silenced him.

"I don't care what you think." Vilgax scoffed before looking at his blinking wrist. A small grin made its way to his lips, "It appears that your grandson has made his way here."

Max glared at the warlord, making even a few of the lifeless drones step back in fear, "You stay away from him! You hear me?! If you even touch a hair on his head, I will kill you!"

"I tire of your incessant babbling. Drones, silence all of them!" Vilgax ordered, before leaving the ruined Tennyson house to greet his arch nemesis.

* * *

As he exited the house, he was not surprised to meet the burning green eyes of his nemesis, "So, the great Ben Tennyson has finally decided to grace me with his presence?"

Ben glared at him, his left hand on the Omnitrix, "What are you doing here, Vilgax? I thought you were still in the Null Void."

Vilgax crossed his arms, "I was let out on good behavior, now do me a favor and stay still!" With a mental command, a few spare drones surrounded the hero.

Ben stared at the drones, slightly confused, "Five drones... really? I'm offended that you think that _they_ will be enough to kill me."

"Oh, they're not to kill you, they're to make certain that you can't stop me," Vilgax stated as he pulled a small round object out of subspace and clipped it on his metallic belt, "You see I realized something while I was in the Null Void. I realized that I couldn't beat you physically, so if I was going to have any real chance at getting my revenge, I was going to have to remove your support pillars."

Ben paled his green eyes wide, as he digested what Vilgax just said, "You're insane!" He activated the Omnitrix and slammed down on the first alien that appeared.

" **DIAMONDHEAD!** " Ben roared once the green glow around him faded.

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database: Diamondhead - Petrosapien**

* * *

 _Petrosapiens come from the planet Petropia. Petrosapiens are made of a green-blue, diamond-like material. They are a little taller than humans. They have four digits on their hands and none on their feet._

 _Male Petrosapiens have a spike on the back of their semi-cubic head and two to six on their back; females don't._

 _Petrosapiens are highly resistant to most physical attacks and are physically enhanced due to their crystalline bodies._

 _Petrosapiens are able to alter their bodies into crude tools, such as blades, as they can generate crystalline substance on their bodies, which can allow them to regenerate unless they break completely._

 _Petrosapiens are able to shoot crystalline shards at rapid speed, generate blades that cut through most materials, and causing large, almost mountainous formations under their control; to manifest and spike out, either from their projectiles or from walls and the ground itself, as well as other structures. They can even generate these formations, such as giant spikes, from their own bodies, as well as retract them._

 _Being living prisms, Petrosapiens can refract, absorb and redirect light and energy beam, channel them through their bodies and project them back at their source._

* * *

Diamondhead's hands turned into wicked blades as he attempted to destroy the droids surrounding him. To his surprise, though, the blades bounced off the robotic minions, " **What the!?** "

"You like it? I thought I'd give them a little upgrade." Vilgax said, "I don't expect them to be able to stop you for long, though. Just long enough for me to do what I need to do."

" **Don't do it, Vilgax! Don't you dare touch them!** " Diamondhead roared as he stabbed one of the droids with all his might. Upon drawing the blade out, it snapped, forcing him to grow a new one.

Vilgax smiled as he pressed a few buttons on his wrist, "You better hurry, Ben, if you wish to have a chance at saving them!" Diamondhead ignored him as he stabbed the ground causing diamond pillars to emerge from the ground and impale the remaining robots.

Quickly looking around, he noticed that there were no more enemies for him to destroy, except for Vilgax. Slapping the Omnitrix, Diamondhead reverted back to his human form, "It's just you and me, Vilgax. I know you hate me, but I'm begging you to not involve my family. You can do whatever you want to me; just let them go... please!"

Vilgax paused, almost as if considering the proposition, before shaking his head, "I swore revenge against you, Ben! That means hurting you in the worst way possible!" A coy smirk made its way onto Vilgax's face, "Besides, your family got involved the minute I killed Gwen's unborn child."

"...What?" Ben could hardly believe his own ears. Did Vilgax just say that he killed Gwen's child?

The warlord nodded his head as if teaching a stupid child, "Yes, and you know the best part? Kevin E. Levin didn't even know she was pregnant! HAHAHA! Oh, you should have seen his face!"

Rage, anger, horror... those were the emotions that were flowing through Ben. His hands were clenched tightly as he stared at the laughing warlord. He would pay.

Activating his Omnitrix, Ben turned the dial to an alien he knew would be able to deal with Vilgax...once and for all and slammed down on the pad, " **RATH!** "

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database: Rath - Appoplexian**

* * *

 _Appoplexians possess enhanced strength and agility, enabling them to jump great distances and lift objects heavier than themselves. Their fighting style is a mixture of wrestling, grappling holds, and sheer brute force, allowing them to power their way through dozens of opponents and smash through tough defenses._

 _Appoplexians possess a large, retractable claw on each wrist. This claw can be used to stab opponents or create a shock wave when stabbed into the ground or when objects are cut apart._

 _Appoplexians are extremely durable, able to take a point-blank laser blast with no apparent effect and survive a free fall from several hundred feet in the air, with only a bit of dizziness as a result._

 _Their unbridled aggression gives them a psychological edge in combat. There are very few things that Appoplexians fear and many opponents find it extremely difficult to stop one that is fully enraged._

* * *

" **LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, VILGAX THE CONQUER! NO ONE THREATENS OR HARMS RATH'S FAMILY, BUT RATH HIMSELF!** " Rath roared, anger fueling his actions.

Vilgax frowned, "An Appoplexian... how fitting. Now, let's end this." Vilgax charged at the enraged hero and grappled with him for a few seconds before head-butting Rath.

" **No one head-butts Rath,** " Rath growled, his claws extending a few feet so that he could stab Vilgax. Running as fast as he could manage, which was quite fast when compared to an average human, he attempted to skewer the warlord.

"Tch... you're a tough bastard, you know that?" Vilgax admitted as he grabbed Rath's outstretched arm and tossed him into a random tree, "But, I think you need to know something before we continue, Ben."

Rath paused as he got back onto his feet, " **WHAT!?** "

"Your time's up," Vilgax stated with crossed arms. Taking the object clipped onto his belt, he tossed it at the enraged Appoplexian. The ball started humming before a translucent barrier appeared around Rath.

" **What is this!? YOU THINK SOME PUNY WALL CAN STOP RATH!?** " Rath roared as he banged against the wall to no avail.

Vilgax smirked, before tossing a small looking pill at the house. Rath watched, his anger dying down slightly as confusion replaced it, " **Er, what is that?"**

"A dimensional grenade. It's banned within 25 galaxies and possession of one can get you the death sentence." Vilgax answered, satisfaction brimming in his body as he watched the human continue his struggling.

" **This won't cut it,** " Rath growled before slamming the Omnitrix symbol on his chest. Once the emerald light died down, a new figure stood in Rath's place, " **BIG CHILL!"**

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database: Big Chill - Necrofriggian**

* * *

 _Necrofriggians are a species of insectoid aliens that hail from the planets Kylmyys and Mykdl'dy._

 _Necrofriggians are a genderless, insectoid species with wings and antenna that can fold up into a hooded robe (much akin to a poncho), giving them the appearance of a phantom._

 _Necrofriggians have a blue body with black and white spots on their arms and legs that resemble ice chunks, a light blue torso, and large pale green eyes. They have three pointed fingers and a thumb on each hand and two toes on each foot and a third toe-like extension on their ankles._

 _Necrofriggians from Mykdl'dy have much paler skin than Necrofriggians from Kylmyys and they also have blue eyes._

 _Necrofriggian can exhale ice generating gas or force wind that can either cause ice to form mid-air, on a target or targeted area, or turn a target to ice. They are also capable of using their hands and touch to freeze targets or to generate ice constructs. They are also capable of moving or phasing through objects, which they are able to turn to ice if they choose to. In addition, their ability to become intangible allows them to float, levitate and glide._

 _Necrofriggians can fold their wings and antennae forming a hood and a long robe, giving them a phantom-like appearance._

 _Necrofriggians can survive the vacuum of space, extreme heat or cold and underwater._

* * *

Turning intangible, Big Chill tried to phase through the barrier but found that it was too dense to phase through.

"Shh... the show is about to start," Vilgax said, before putting away his energy shield. It was hard to notice at first, but with his enhanced eyesight Big Chill noticed it. It was a tiny crack in the ground that was growing bigger by the second.

Vilgax noticed Big Chill's surprise, "You see it, don't you? That is a tear in the space-time continuum, anything that touches it will be removed from this universe."

Big Chill blinked owlishly, " _So you plan to throw my family into it? I'll just go in and retrieve them!_ "

Vilgax laughed, his voice shaking the ground itself, "No, don't be ridiculous."

They watched as the crack started widening before it snapped open with a loud bang.

"I'll be throwing you into it," Vilgax stated as his armored glove pierced through the barrier and grabbed the Necrofriggian's neck. He held it tight enough that Big Chill could not turn intangible, "Any last words?"

Big Chill struggled to say something, but the tight hold on his neck made it increasingly hard to say anything meaningful, "Uggh..."

"I thought so, but before you go... I want you to see something, Ben" Vilgax said as he carried the hero of the universe to where the rip rested. His left hand grabbed Big Chill's head and pointed it towards the house, " _Watch!_ "

Big Chill's eyes widened when he saw Vilgax throw a Nuclear Fusion Grenade into his house, " ** _NO!_** " He watched, hopelessly, as his house and family went up in a big explosion.

" ** _YOU WILL PAY DEARLY, VILGAX! DO YOU HEAR ME!?_** _"_ Big Chill screamed. His green bug-like eyes were damp from the tears that were streaming out of them, " _One day, Vilgax... you will pay_."

Vilgax scoffed, "I don't care. I've finally gotten my revenge against you." With that said, he slammed Big Chill into the rift and watched as it snapped shut.

* * *

Paradox frowned, his black eyes trailing the floating form of Ben Tennyson. This was not supposed to have happened... so why had it? That was the question that was plaguing the professor's mind as he floated behind Ben.

"This will not do," Paradox stated as he closed the fob watch in his hand. Tapping the young man, he watched as the comatose hero gasped for air, almost as if awakening from death.

It took Ben a few minutes to get his bearings back, but when he did, he looked shaken beyond belief, "W-w-what happened?" He stared at his mentor, a fragile hope in his eyes, hoping that what had happened had just been a bad nightmare.

Paradox looked away, shattering Ben's hopes, "... I truly am sorry, Benjamin."

"..." Ben looked at his hands, refusing to respond, refusing to accept what had happened, "Why?"

Paradox frowned as he rested his left hand on Ben's shoulder, "Even I do not know the answer to that."

"So... what happens now?" Ben asked before a sudden thought hit him, "Where exactly are we, Professor?" He shivered, almost as if touched by death itself, as he looked around the vast expanse of space.

Paradox frowned, his hands clenching tightly, "This... well, it's the point where your dimension ends."

"So Vilgax wasn't lying!?" Ben asked, horror dawning on his face as he realized just what kind of situation he was in, "Is there anything that you can do to get me out of here?"

Paradox shook his head in the negative, "Unfortunately no, Ben," He raised his hand to stop Ben's objections, "When Vilgax threw you into the rift, I pulled you out of your time stream. I've already broken a few rules by doing this... so I'll have to put you back, despite my personal opinions."

He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to Ben, "I thought I'd give it to you as a gift. You can open the box whenever you feel down," Paradox smiled sadly at Ben.

"So this is it, huh?" Ben asked as he closed his eyes, memories both old and recent flashing through his mind, "Thanks for everything, Professor."

Paradox smiled, a sad one, but a smile none the less, "Goodbye old friend. I wish you a long happy life." With that, he snapped his fingers and watched as Ben disappeared from the time stream.

* * *

 **New Universe: Unknown**

 **Location: Unknown**

* * *

Ben frowned as he walked into a small clearing. His clothes were soaking wet, from having appeared a few feet over a small lake and clinging to him like a scared cat. As he pulled at his muscle shirt, he heard the distinct sound of guns being fired.

Ben groaned as he activated the Omnitrix and cycled through the aliens he had. Settling for Diamondhead, he slammed down on the pad, " **SWAMPFIRE!** "

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database: Swampfire - Methanosian**

* * *

 _Methanosians are a humanoid plant-like alien species with a green and black colored body with root-like feet, seemingly holding rocks. Also, their shoulders and head have red and yellow petals. Methanosians can either have four or five fingers._

 _Methanosians are taller than an average human and have a distinct rotten stench that worsens with heat._

 _A Methanosian's voice is very stuffy and nasally because they do not have noses._

 _So far, only males have been seen. It is unknown what females look like._

 _Before they hit puberty, they have black faces and their petals and facial structure are different._

 _Methanosians have a wide array of powers such as regeneration powers, the ability to slip through tight spaces, enhanced strength, chlorokinesis, stretching, and the ability to alter their body. They can generate and blast flames of various amounts of heat and intensity through their hands and mouths, via igniting the methane in their bodies, with enough precision to melt a metal cage without harming the people inside._

 _Methanosians have limited flight by using fire as a form of jet propulsion._

 _Methanosians have a high degree of chlorokinesis, to the point where they can make plants turn into large, elongating tentacles that subdue enemies._

 _Methanosians are able to manipulate their biological agriculture to stretch their limbs, change their shape, or grow extra limbs and tentacles._

 _Methanosians can reattach detached body parts by manipulating their vine-like "veins" to reach out and meld with the insides of the detached limb. Methanosians could instead regenerate a lost limb or reform if destroyed and their body parts are close enough._

 _Methanosians have superhuman strength; enough to push over a Highbreed weather tower with leverage, such as by turning their feet into roots that run into the ground._

* * *

" **Oh, come on! I wanted Diamondhead, not Swampfire!** " Swampfire groaned, upset that he did not get the alien that he wanted. After a few seconds, he released a long suffering sigh, " **Guess this is better than** **nothing. Now... let's go see what the commotion is about.** "

* * *

Colonel Jack O'Neill cursed as he ducked behind a fallen tree, in an attempt to avoid the Jaffa weapon fire, "Shit! I blame you for this, Daniel!" He quickly raised himself back up and fire a few shots at the approaching Jaffa, a small smirk making its way on his face when he saw a few of the Jaffa go down.

"What!?" Daniel asked, quite scandalized, "It's not my fault that the villagers thought we were gods!" He frowned as he shot one the Jaffas that got too close.

"Yes," Jack started, "But it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't told them we weren't gods." He frowned... something smelled terrible, "Do you smell that?"

Daniel rolled his eyes, "Ok, I get it. No need to insult me as well." He raised his head and peeked over the dead tree and spotted a few less Jaffa than before. He quickly ducked as one of the energy blasts nearly hit his head.

"No! Not that... do you smell it as well, Tea'lc?" Jack asked his silent teammate as he killed another Jaffa. God that smell was getting worse by the second.

"Indeed," Tea'lc answered as he fired his staff weapon before kneeling to the ground so as to avoid getting hit, "It is a most pungent smell."

Samantha 'Sam' Carter nodded her head as well. "I do as well, Sir. It smells kind of like methane." She looked towards her teammates, "I think we might want to consider leaving. They might be trying to burn down the forest."

Jack made to respond, but a Jaffa screamed, "What was that?" Raising his head, he noticed that all of the Jaffa had disappeared, "Ugh... guys, I think you might wanna see this..."

As the rest of the team looked at what he was seeing, Jack spared a glance at Tea'lc, "Is this some sort of Goa'uld strategy?"

"No, O'Neill," Tea'lc said with a frown. His grip on his staff weapon was tight, almost as if he was ready to fire at anything that would attempt to attack him or his teammates, "Whatever has done this... it is not of Goa'uld origin."

"So an unknown element, whoop-de-doo, " Jack said, sarcasm practically drowning each and every word that came out of his mouth. Deciding to take charge, he was the team leader, after all, he made his way towards where the Jaffa had screamed.

The unease that Jack felt increased as he made his way to where the Jaffa had last been, "Carter! Get over here!" He knelt down, looking for any clues as to what had happened, but kept an eye on his surroundings.

"Sir?" Sam asked as she jogged over to him. He stood back up, "What do you make of all of this?"

"I don't know," She admitted, "There's nothing to suggest that the Goa'uld have technology capable of this."

Jack nodded with a grim look on his face, "Ok, prepare to leave out. Who knows if whatever did this is still around." He paused... that horrible smell was back.

" **Nobody is going anywhere!** " A stuffy voice said from within the trees, " **At least not until I get some answers.** "

Jack pointed his gun to where he heard the voice, "Come on out and then we can talk."

The voice laughed, " **I'm not stupid. I know the minute that I come out, you'll riddle me with bullets. So how about you put away your weapons and then I'll come** **out?** "

"No can do-" Jack was interrupted by Daniel pulling him to the side slightly, "What, Daniel!? Can't you see I'm doing something?"

Daniel glared at Jack, matching Jack's own in intensity, "I see you alienating a possible ally! It wants answers! We can give it answers!"

Jack stared at Daniel, "Have you lost your damned mind!?" He was this close to throttling Daniel.

Daniel sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he gazed at the emerald eyes that glowed from within the forest, "Look... all I'm saying is that maybe we should be a bit nicer in our proceedings. Whatever it is, it helped us, whether intentional or not."

"He has a point, Sir." Sam said as she looked at her CO, "We don't have to give it any confidential information."

Jack sighed, "When did I become the captain of a pirate crew?" He ignored Daniel's and Sam's grin in favor of gazing at the stoic member of the team, "...Tea'lc, you with them?"

"Indeed." Tea'lc nodded his head.

Jack frowned, but dropped the gun, "Fine, we do it your way!" He saw the rest of his team drop their weapons, except for their handguns that were hidden in their ballistic vests, "So... now what?"

" **Look up.** " The voice commanded. Seeing no other real choice, at least if they wanted to acquire the being's trust, they complied and let out strangled gasps. High up in the air, were a bunch of Jaffa that had vines wrapped around their legs and hands, " **Who or what are they?** "

Jack and Sam shared a look, before Jack cleared his throat, "You mean you don't know what they are?"

" **Of course I don't! If I did, I wouldn't be asking you now, would I?** " The voice snapped as vines emerged from the ground, indicating its indignation.

Sam stepped in at this point, mostly because she didn't want to see her commanding officer be whacked by a vine, even if it would be funny to watch, "They are called the Jaffa and they serve the beings known as the Goa'uld." The vines stopped shaking in annoyance; they kind of just swayed in the light breeze.

" **These Goa'uld, what are they?** " The voice asked; a strange sense of caution in his voice. It was now at this point that they could make out the owner of the voice. It had the shape of a man but looked nothing like one. It had mostly green skin and black portions on the side of its body. Its shoulders had red spikes sticking out of them.

The face was the most surprising, though. It was black, with red undersides giving it the appearance of a flame.

It was Daniel that spoke first, "What are you?" Awe was evident in his voice, as he gazed at the figure.

" **You can call me Swampfire, and I'm just someone that is very interested in the universe.** " The figure, Swampfire, replied with a smile. He waved his hand as the Jaffa fell to the ground, " **Now, please, answer the question.** "

Sam shook her head, putting away many of the questions she had for later, "Well, the Goa'uld are a parasitic race that takes innocent, living beings as hosts. Ugh, when that happens the hosts are no longer able to live their lives... for all intents and purposes, they become almost brain dead." She sent an apologetic look to Daniel, who merely nodded his head.

"... **I don't like them,** " Swampfire growled, his hands clenching tightly, " **Anyone that uses another living being in such a manner, whether they're a parasite or not, is worse than scum.** "

Jack smiled, maybe Daniel was right, "You and me both... but for Pete's sake! Where is that smell coming from!?" Jack asked in anger. He felt ready to faint and by the looks on his teammate's faces, they felt the same.

Swampfire couched in embarrassment, " **Sorry about that, it's the methane in my body. I can change into something different if need be.** "

Jack coughed, "Please do. God, this _stinks_!" He and his teammates covered their eyes as a green glow surrounded Swampfire. When it faded, a man made out of diamonds stood.

" **DIAMONDHEAD!** " The new figure roared before rubbing the back of his spike head sheepishly, " **Again, sorry about that. Didn't realize that it was affecting you guys so much. The Jaffa didn't seem to mind it all.** "

"Well we're not Jaffa, _are_ we?" Jack asked irritably before sighing, "Are we free to go, or do you have more questions for us?"

" **No.** " Diamondhead replied, " **You guys can go.** " With that said, he slammed his diamond hands into the ground and watched as a small house made out of pure diamond formed, " **If you wanna rest, you can do so in here.** "

Everyone stared in shock at the house and Diamondhead. Sam was the first to speak, "How!? The amount of power and minerals required to do something like this is massive." Her head felt like it was going to explode as she tried to make heads and tails of what just happened.

Diamondhead smiled at her, " **I don't really know. I just do it I guess.** " Using his powers, he willed an archway to emerge out of the ground.

"Do you wanna come back with us?" Daniel asked suddenly as he marveled at the structure in front of him, "We could use someone like you in the fight against the Goa'uld."

He gasped when he felt a rough hand pull him away from the group, "Are you insane, Daniel!? This creature, whatever it is, could be a threat and you wanna just invite it back to the base!?" Jack whispered fiercely, and louder than intended, at the archaeologist.

Daniel stood firm under Jack's glare, "I know it's a risk, but when have we ever done anything without risking something?" He whispered back urgently, his hands pointing towards the walking miracle, "This being, whatever it is, could change the fight against the Goa'uld in our favor! I know you wanna stick to regulations, but for once in your life, think outside the box." With that, he walked away from the Colonel.

Jack sighed, what was he going to do with them? Making a decision, he walked back to the group, "Ok. Like Daniel asked, do you wanna come back with us?"

Diamondhead shrugged, " **Sure.** " With that, the diamond structures sunk back into the ground, " **Ugh... so how do we get there?** "

The group looked at each other, before looking back at Diamondhead, "By Stargate? Chappai? Astria Porta? Any of these ringing a bell?" Daniel asked, testing all the names he knew were used for the device. Seeing the blank look on Diamondhead's face, not that he could tell much, he sighed, "By teleporter?"

A look of realization came across Diamondhead's face, " **Why didn't you say so?** "

"Enough chit chat. I don't like staying here longer than necessary. Besides, Hammond said he would change the codes for the iris if we didn't come back within four hours. It's been roughly three." Jack said as he started to make his way back to the Stargate. Seeing their commander make his way back to the gate, the rest followed.

* * *

" **So this is a Stargate?** " Diamondhead asked as he stood in front of the circular object. His eyes scanned everything about it, from its size to the symbols engraved on it, " **I'm kinda surprised.** "

"Really?" Daniel asked as he looked up from his notes, maybe he could learn something about Diamondhead's species, "What's so surprising about it?"

" **I'm just kind of surprised to see this kind of tech lying around on an abandoned planet,** " Diamondhead said as he crossed his arms, his green eyes staring into Daniel's blue ones, " **It seems kind of irresponsible of the people who created the devices.** "

Daniel blinked, before a small chuckle escaped his lips, "Yeah, it does seem like that." He watched with fond eyes as the ring on the Stargate started rotating, "But if they hadn't, I would have never discovered such a vast universe."

Diamondhead stayed silent, slightly worrying Daniel, as he mulled over what Daniel said. Whilst he did that, he noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Jack was talking into his radio, probably to his superiors.

After a few minutes, Jack approached both him and Daniel, "Good news, kiddos! Our new friend can come home with us!" Jack said with sarcastic excitement.

Daniel rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face none the less, "I guess that's it then."

Seeing nothing stopping them, the group, plus one, walked through the shimmering liquid.

* * *

" **Hold your fire!** " A man shouted over the intercom, as Sg1 walked through the gate with a man made out of green diamonds, " **It's a friendly.** "

" **Despite my appearance, I do have a gender and it just so happens to be male!** " The diamond man, Diamondhead according to Jack, growled, obviously annoyed with the technician.

Sam suppressed a grin as Diamondhead chewed out the personnel for assuming he was genderless, before looking to Jack, "We should probably check in with General Hammond."

Jack groaned. Hammond was going to love this, "Alright, let's go give our report to Hammond and while we're at it, we can explain how my treacherous team overthrew me."

" **Er... this Hammond guy, he's friendly right?** " Diamondhead asked, sounding quite nervous for a guy who can make giant diamonds appear out of the ground.

Jack could not help but make a sarcastic remark, it was just begging to be said, "Oh, he's just the biggest _teddy bear_."

* * *

 **So here we are.**

 **My first Ben Ten and Stargate crossover!**

 **I hope you enjoyed it and please leave me a review!**

 **The more I get, the more I'm encouraged to continue it.**

 **If you liked it, recommend it to your friends and please...**

 **Review, Follow, and Favorite.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Reviewed: Bigby the Big Bad Wolf**

 **I don't own Ben Ten or the Stargate franchise.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy it.**

* * *

 **SGC - Interrogation Room 101**

* * *

Captain Samantha Carter stared at Diamondhead with a hint of shame as she passed him a small glass filled with water, "I'm really sorry about this, but protocol demands that we interrogate you before allowing you any form of freedom." She stared into his green eyes, trying to convey that it was going to be alright.

" **It's no problem... so what do you want to know?** " Diamondhead asked as he drank the water, his green eyes never wavering from the captain's.

Sam smiled at him, before looking at the paper in her hands, "The first thing we need to know is where you are from."

Diamondhead closed his eyes as a small frown spread across his face, " **That's a bit complicated. What do you know about the multiverse?** "

Sam's eyes widened, her hands releasing the paper she held, as she observed the diamond being in front of her with a new sense of eagerness, "Are you saying that you come from another universe?"

Diamondhead shook his hand in a so-so gesture, indicating that he was not certain about it, " **I can't say that I'm certain about it, but at the very least, I know that I am in another dimension.** "

Sam nodded eagerly, a small grin on her face as she took notes of everything she learned from the apparent dimension hopper, "Ok... Are there others like you? Or are you the only one who came?"

The frown on Diamondhead's face increased, worrying Sam slightly, " **No, I am the only one.** "

Sam made a note of that, a frown on her face as well, "Now for the important question, why did you come?"

Diamondhead snorted, " **My coming here... it was not planned. I was forced, pushed you could say, through a rift in the space-time continuum, permanently stranding me here.** "

"What happened?" Sam asked, choosing to forgo asking the questions on the paper in favor of learning more about the truly alien being in front of her, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

" **No!** " Diamondhead shouted, the shards on his back extending a few inches in response to his emotions. He actually turned red when he saw Sam jump in surprise, " **I mean, it's best if I get it off my chest.** "

"I understand," Sam said, her hands resting on the mug of coffee, "I understand if it's too painful to retell so I'll not force you."

Diamondhead smiled at her, but Sam could tell that it was forced; she'd had that same one on her face many times, " **Thanks.** "

" **To understand my story, we need to go back 15 years,** " Diamondhead started, his hand hovering over the symbol on his chest. With a sigh, he slammed the symbol, and a green light surrounded his form, not unlike when he changed from Swampfire to Diamondhead.

The guards in the room raised their weapons and pointed them at the being in the room, ready to kill him if he showed the slightest sign of hostility. As the glow started to fade, the occupants of the room could make out a new figure, a human, "I was ten years old when my entire life changed, for better and worse."

Sam blinked in surprise as she got a good look at the man in front of her, "You're human?" The figure in front of her was handsome, to say the least, with messy brown hair and emerald green eyes.

"I am." He nodded before a stray thought hit him, "My name, my real name, is Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, but you can call me Ben."

"Ben..." Sam tested the name on her lips, a thoughtful frown on her face "What exactly happened? I assume it has something to do with your ability to change forms?"

"That's right," Ben nodded, his arms crossed behind his head as he recalled memories long past, "I'd been on a camping trip with my grandpa and cousin when it happened."

Ben closed his eyes as the memories flashed before his very eyes, "It had been a cold night and I was upset. Upset that I had to spend my summer with my cousin, Gwen. It was supposed to be just me and Grandpa Max."

"You and your Grandpa were close, I take it?" Sam asked; her eyes sympathetic as Ben told his tale. She couldn't even begin to image what it would be like to never see her family again.

He smiled at her, a small chuckle escaping his lips, "You could say that. I remember a time when I had to write an essay about one of my heroes... I could have chosen anyone, but I chose my Grandpa Max. He wasn't anything special, at least that was what I thought at the time, but I still looked up to him. I remember thinking that when I grew up, I would be just like him."

Sam smiled, that sounded just like how she was when she was younger, "I understand."

Ben sighed, "I think I've derailed the story, though." After gathering himself, he continued where he had left off, "As you know, I was upset. My plans had been ruined, and in my young mind, rather horribly. I knew that I needed to let some steam off, so I took a walk in the forest."

"And your grandpa just let you do that?" Sam asked, confused as to why anyone would allow a ten-year-old child to wander around in the wild alone.

"Not really, but I didn't care at the time. I just wanted to get away from Gwen," Ben admitted before a small chuckle escaped his lips, "As I was walking through the forest, I saw a shooting star streak across the sky. You can probably imagine the wonder I felt," Ben stated, a hint of fondness in his voice.

"I can," Sam admitted, before gesturing for Ben to continue his story, "So what happened?"

Ben scowled, "That wonder I felt? It quickly turned into fear as the comet made a sudden 90-degree turn and aimed itself right at me." Ben ignored Sam's wide eyes, "I ran as fast as my legs could take me, but I was never a fast kid. The ensuing collision blasted me a few feet forward, only stopping when I crashed into a tree."

"There is no possible way that was a regular comet," Sam said as she tried to get the image of a ten-year-old dying by comet out of her mind.

"It wasn't," Ben agreed with a simple nod of the head, "It turned out to be a containment pod that was locked onto my grandfather's DNA signature."

"And your DNA was a close enough match, which is why it followed you!" Sam deduced, "This is amazing! The type of technology required to make something like that has to be vast. Hell, even the Goa'uld don't have tech like that."

"I wouldn't know anything about that, so I'll just take your word for it," Ben said as he watched her start to explain to the confused soldiers, in the room, what DNA seeking tech could mean, "Besides, tech like that is child's play compared to what was contained in it."

"Really?" Sam asked as she looked away from one of the soldiers, "I mean what could be so valuable, that you would need tech like that to carry it?"

Ben smiled as he rolled up the sleeve of his jacket, revealing a watch on his wrist, "The device in the capsule was the prototype to what I am now wearing." He reached his hand out so that she could examine it.

The captain nodded her head absently as she took a good look at the device, "And this is what you use to transform into those other forms?"

Ben nodded, "That's right. It contains the genetic template of over a million alien species from my universe, though, I've only unlocked roughly around ninety." He pulled back his hand once Sam was done looking at the watch.

"Why would someone make a device like this?" Sam asked, not really expecting an answer, "I mean the potential behind it is frightening. A person could literally be anything... It's just astounding."

"I want it noted that this is not a weapon, but a device designed for peace. Walk a mile in someone's shoes and all that." Ben said, hoping that they didn't get any ideas, "Its main purpose, besides what I use if for, is to ensure the survival of all sentient species in the event of an extinction level event."

"A Noah's Ark," Sam summarized as she stared at the man in front of her, "I've got to go and report to the General, but I hope we can work together at some point. I would love to see just how your watch works."

Ben said nothing as he gave a small nod, indicating his understanding. As Sam left through the door, she quickly stuck her head back into the room, "If you need anything, feel free to ask the guards. Just make sure it's nothing too outlandish."

Ben nodded in understanding, "Ok. Thanks for letting -"

* * *

 **SGC - Briefing Room**

* * *

\- **me know,** " General George S. Hammond paused the recording on the TV. He looked at the flagship team of the Stargate Program, SG-1, a serious look on his face, "What can you tell me about the device he's wearing?" Despite being worded as a question, everyone in the room knew that it was a command.

Sam coughed, her blue eyes gazing at the files in front of her, "Honestly? Not much. The device is thousands of years ahead of us. Hell, even the Goa'uld don't have tech like that." Sam paused, a strange look on her face as she gazed at the General, "I know what you're thinking, and I don't think it would be a good idea to try and remove it."

"Why?" Hammond asked, genuinely curious this time.

"The device, I believe, is genetically fused to him. Whoever sent it, as you know, made sure that it would only go to Max Tennyson or someone from his direct genetic line." Sam explained, "If they went through all that trouble, what's to say that the device itself is not the same?"

"Meaning that even if we were able to remove it...we wouldn't be able to use it," Hammond deduced, a sigh escaping his lips. He looked at SG-1, a frown on his face, "What can you tell me about his personality? Does he seem likely to help us against the Goa'uld?"

"Yes," Jack answered for his team, a serious look on his face, "When we told him about the snakeheads, his whole body started shaking in anger, anger that I know very well could not be faked."

"Yeah," Daniel nodded his head in agreement, "Hell, the entire planet felt like it was about to erupt as vines started emerging from the ground."

"I am most pleased that the Goa'uld did not find him first," Tea'lc confessed, an even grimmer normal look upon his face.

Sam shivered at the thought, "That would be a nightmare." She gazed at her boss, a concerned look on her face, "I think something happened, though, before his arrival."

"He did seem a bit melancholy," Daniel confessed in agreement. He paused, "Do you think something might have happened to his grandfather?"

"I think so," Sam muttered, "He seemed to have a great fondness for him, and the way he spoke of him suggests that he is no longer in the living world, though that just might be because he won't be able to see his family anymore."

"So... can he be trusted?" General Hammond asked, after contemplating everything he saw and was told.

SG-1 shared a look, an unspoken question being asked, before Jack sighed, "I think so."

Hammond smiled, the tension leaving the room like a river, "Then I guess it's time I met our guest?"

* * *

 **SGC - Interrogation Room 101**

* * *

Hammond stared at the young man in front of him, his black eyes unwavering from the subject of his gaze. Ben had suffered, that was obvious. He did a good job of covering it up, but for someone like Hammond, it was as bright as the Sun on a clear day.

"Who did you lose?" Hammond asked after a few minutes of silence had passed, "I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but I find that it helps."

"Huh?" Ben blinked, taken aback by the sudden question before a small chuckle escaped his lips, "I thought I'd hidden it rather well, but I suppose I can't hide it anymore."

Hammond smiled as well, but it was slightly strained, "I served in the Vietnam War, I know what it's like to lose people you care about. Hell, I've had that same look on my face many times. You weren't fooling anybody but yourself."

"I know..." Ben muttered lowly, his voice losing most of its strength, his emerald eyes staring into Hammond's stern ones, "I never got the chance to mourn, you know? It just happened too fast." His teeth gnashed together, "All I saw was an explosion and then the rift I was pushed through snapping shut."

Hammond found that his mouth had gone dry, but he still asked the question that had formed in his mind, "The explosion...who was caught in it?"

"Everyone," Ben replied, small teardrops trickling out of his eyes, "Everyone I ever cared about burned to death: my parents, cousin, best friend, unborn godson. Vilgax killed them all when he blew my home up!"

The General gazed sadly at Ben, understanding filling his eyes, "I am truly sorry for your loss and you have my sincerest apologies."

"Thanks," Ben responded as he wiped the tears from his eyes, "But I'm certain that you didn't come here just to say that." He gave Hammond a pointed look.

"...That is correct," The General replied after a second of hesitation, "I'll be blunt; we want you to help us in the fight against the Goa'uld."

"Really?" Ben asked; a frown on his face. Seeing Hammond nod, Ben winced "Can I have some time to think about it?"

Hammond nodded, "You can, but I suggest making a decision soon. Once my superiors get word of you, they'll be calling for your transfer to another facility."

"If I join, will it be this facility that I work at?" Ben asked, his mind working through all the choices he had. He nodded when George nodded his own head in confirmation, "Ok... I'll think about it, but if I choose not to join you, I will leave and never come back. Humans are nowhere near ready for the level of tech that the Omnitrix possess."

"I understand, and I agree. From what I have been told and have seen, your statement is accurate." Hammond agreed, dreading what type of damage some unsavory elements could do if they somehow managed to get a hold of the Omnitrix.

Ben smiled, happy that the General understood where he was coming from, "Thank you. I... I think you will have your answer within twenty-four hours." He hesitated slightly, not wanting to rush his answer.

"I understand. In the meantime, we can supply you with a room that you can stay in if you want." Hammond offered as he got up from his seat, his bones popping slightly.

Ben nodded; he really needed to get some sleep, "Thanks." As he got up, he noticed that Hammond had already reached the door, "Should I wait here?"

"No, I'll have one of my men take you to the guest quarters," George stated as he walked out, Ben trailing behind him.

* * *

 **SGC - Guest Quarters**

* * *

"This is your room. If you need anything, feel free to ask... can't promise that you'll get it, though," The airman, assigned to escort Ben, announced as he opened the door to a small room.

"Understood," Ben nodded as he closed the door, uncaring as to whether the soldier was done speaking to him. He clenched his hands tightly as he looked around the small room. The first thing his eyes landed on was a bed big enough to contain one person and a small drawer to the side.

Going to the bed, he allowed himself to fall on it, his head hitting the soft white pillow. He found himself squirming on the bed as he tried to make himself comfortable, his mind replaying everything that had happened within the last few hours.

"I lost..." Ben muttered to himself as he buried his face into the pillow, tears streaming out of his eyes, "I'm sorry, Dad and Mom." He slammed his fist into the bed, "I could have saved you and Grandpa Max, but I was too slow!"

 _"Pathetic! Why are you moping around like some sort of emo_ _kid?"_ A faint voice within his mind asked harshly. It was like knives dragging against a chalkboard, " _While I may hate your very existence, I know that they raised you better than this._ "

"Shut up," Ben muttered, his voice like ice, as he raised his head from the pillows so that his lungs could get some air, "I know how they raised me! I know that they would want me to be strong... But I'm not strong! You hear me? I'm weak." Ben admitted, his voice cracking like thunder.

" _I know._ " The voice admitted, " _Your true strength came from the bonds that you held with your friends and family. When you came here, those bonds were snapped. So yes, you are weak. But, it doesn't have to stay that way. You have a new chance at life... for your own sake, don't waste it._ " The voice advised him, compassion being evident in its voice.

Ben stayed silent as he processed what the strange voice had said. Deep down, he knew that it was telling the truth, he just couldn't bring himself to accept it, "Who are you to judge me?"

" _Someone who cares about you, whether you like it or not,_ " The voice calmly replied. " _And I'm not judging you, just stating the obvious._ "

Ben snorted as he got off the bed, his hands resting on his knees as he tried to ignore the voice, "Why? Why help someone who is responsible for the death of his own family?"

Pain surged through his head as if someone had stabbed it with hundreds of daggers, " _Fool... I do not care about that. I care only that you are strong. Once you have strength, then everything else will follow. Only you can heal your heart, but that can't happen if you keep blaming yourself. You have an offer for a job, why not take it?_ " With its portion said, most of the pain subsided.

Ben growled as he rubbed his head, "Fine. You've made your point. I may not like it, but I'll give it a shot." Going to the door, he opened it and gestured for one of the guards to approach him, "Can you tell General Hammond that I've made a decision concerning his offer?" Seeing the guard nod, he smiled and closed the door.

 **SGC - Briefing Room**

"So..." Jack started, his eyes gazing at the piece of paper in front of him, "What is this?" His left hand was tapping the table as he held the paper in front of his face, gazing at the words on it, "I mean I know what it says, but I want to know what it's doing in front of me."

It was just him and Hammond in the room, Sam, Daniel, and Tea'lc had left to do their own things, as they talked. Hammond looked towards Jack, a serious look on his face, "Ben has agreed to help us, on the condition that he has a test run."

Jack frowned, "What kind of test run?" He put the paper down so that he could look at the general, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"Basically, he wants to go on a mission and see if he can work with us." Hammond replied, a warning audible in his tone, "Don't screw this up, Jack."

Jack raised his hands in surrender, "Understood... that still doesn't explain why you're showing this to me," He pointed to the paper, "I mean, he's practically his own weapon."

Hammond nodded as that made sense, "According to him, the Omnitrix has a time limit. Once it times out, he has to wait ten minutes before he can use it again. So he will need something to defend himself when that happens,"

"Ah," Jack nodded, understanding dawning on his face, "Why didn't you say so?" Pulling a pen out, he quickly signed his name at the bottom of the page, "Still think it's stupid that there needs to be another person's signature to validate an order from the general."

George sighed, his head shaking in amusement, "I don't make the rules, Jack. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah," Jack shrugged as he stood up, "So where is he? We've got a new mission, as you know, and I'm thinking it would be a good one for him to go on."

"That was exactly what I was thinking," Hammond agreed as he stood up looking towards the door, "You can come in now."

Jack raised an eyebrow, Tea'lc style, as a man came in with wavy brown hair and green eyes gazing from within the bangs that hung over his face. He was wearing the standard fatigues of all SGC personnel; the shirt and pants being around the same size as Daniel's so as to fit his body type, "Damn, you clean up nice."

"Thanks," Ben muttered with a small smile, not really accustomed to random strangers complimenting him. He looked over to where the general had sat back down, "So... what's the plan?"

"Well, with you wanting a test run, we're thinking that you join my team on a mission that's coming up, if that's ok with you," Jack offered, hoping that Ben would come with him. A man who could turn into super-powered aliens would really help in the long run.

"I've got no problem with that," Ben shrugged as he took a seat at the table, next to Jack. He paused, "There is just one thing... under no circumstances will I kill another living being. If the situation calls for it, I will do what is needed, but don't expect me to be happy about it."

"I understand, and we won't ask you to kill unless the situation requires it," Jack replied, his hand resting on the younger man's shoulder, "Even if we kill, it is so that others don't have to."

Ben nodded; a grim look on his face, "I see... When do we leave?"

"Now, actually," Jack answered with a grin as he got up, "If that's all, General Hammond. I'd like to go and get ready." He waited for Hammond to give him the go ahead before leaving.

Ben watched as Jack skipped out of the room, a strange look on his face, "Is he always like that?" If so, then he could finally understand why Keven and Gwen got upset with him all the time.

"Honestly? Yes," George replied, a frown on his face. He closed his eyes, "I need to take care of some things so you can go."

Ben saluted before leaving the room.

* * *

 **SGC - Gate Room**

* * *

"So," Ben started as he adjusted the handgun on his hip, "Are these shirts supposed to be so itchy?" He looked towards his _teammates_ , a frown on his face, "What are these things made out of anyway?"

Jack did a 'so-so' gesture with his hands, "Roughly fifty percent nylon and fifty percent cotton and don't worry about it, we can probably find you something better later on."

" _If_ ," Ben stressed, "there is a later on." Finishing his preparation, he looked towards the rotating Stargate, a small smile on his face, "Still nothing is certain."

"Glad to hear that," Jack stated as he stood at the edge of the ramp, his eyes locked on to his teammates, "We know what our mission is, let's not waste any time. I have an episode of the Simpsons to catch and a beer in the fridge waiting for me at home." With his part said, the liquid-like substance surged forward before shooting back into its self.

Ben shook his head in amusement, "Am I to expect any form of conflict?"

"Not really," Sam answered; a black bulletproof helmet on her head, "Maybe some dangerous wildlife, but nothing truly hostile." With her part said, Jack walked through the gate, the rest of the team following him.

 **Location - Unknown**

Cold. That was the first thing he thought as he walked out of the gate. He saw Jack standing in front of him, his gun pointing in a random direction. He jogged over to him, his hand hovering over the Omnitrix, ready to transform at a moment's notice, "What happened?"

"I saw something," Jack said, a cautious look on his face, "It kind of looked like a giant hummingbird with sharp teeth." He pointed his gun to where he heard some rustling but pulled it away when he saw that it was just a pair of birds. Jack turned towards Tea'lc, a questioning look on his face, "Was that the creature?"

"I believe so," Tea'lc replied, his grip on the staff weapon not loosening in the slightest as he looked over at Ben, "Do you have a form capable of tracking invisible creatures?"

Ben nodded, "Yup. They may be impossible to see with eyes, but they still leave a scent," He paused, a stray thought hitting him, "Though if they're in the air it might make it a bit harder to track them."

"Sir!" Sam shouted from behind them, "We have a problem." All three men turned towards her and were surprised to see that the Stargate was gone. As they walked towards her, Ben could not help but feel that there was something going on.

"...Has this happened before?" He asked, a sinking feeling emerging in his stomach. His hand was clenching the tranquilizer gun that hung on his hip, ready to knock out any that would try to hurt him.

"No," Tea'lc replied, "I have never seen anything like this before, even during my time as First Prime of Apophis."

"Great," Ben mumbled to himself, his eyes narrowing as he took in his surroundings. Everything was quiet, too quiet, "I'm going to go and scan ahead, see if I can find anything that can help."

"Yeah... let us know if you spot any hostiles." Jack informed the hero.

Ben nodded before he turned on the dial and slammed down on the alien he needed. As the transformation took hold, he released a roar that had built up in his throat, " **AROO!** "

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database: Wildmutt - Vulpimancer**

* * *

 _Vulpimancers are far more animalistic than humanoid. They can range from the size of an adult human to several times the size of a human. As they mature, they grow tails._

 _They have canine paws with curving claws and quills that grow on their backs. Their most notable feature is that they have no visible eyes and instead have gill-like nostrils on the sides of their necks._

 _Vulpimancers from_ _Vulpin are orange and have a dog-like mouth, teeth, and tongue._

 _Vulpimancers have incredibly enhanced senses of hearing and smell, which they use to work out their surroundings due to their lack of eyes._

 _Vulpimancers have enhanced agility that allows them to run, jump, and climb at a superhuman rate. Their acrobatic and gymnastic capabilities are similar to that of an ape._

 _Vulpimancers can dig at a fast speed, even through solid stone._

 _Although Vulpimancers are quadrupeds, they are capable of standing on their hind legs and punching with their front legs, though somewhat awkwardly._

* * *

"A dog?" Sam blinked as she walked over to the transformed human, her hand rubbing the canine-like creature's orange fur, "No... you're similar to one but far different." The first thing that she noticed was that it lacked eyes, ears, and had no visible nose. The gills on its neck were like that of a fish, allowing Ben to breathe in, and most likely smell, the environment.

She smiled as Ben sniffed her, his gills fluctuating, "Trying to get my scent huh? Why don't you go and scout ahead? If you spot anything, you can come back and inform us." With a pat on Ben's shoulder, she watched as he ran to the nearest tree before using his claws to latch onto one of the branches and jump to the next one.

"So..." Daniel started, a smirk on his face, "Should we be expecting to get you a puppy when your birthday comes around?" He ducked under the half-hearted punch that Sam sent his way, "I was just asking, sheesh."

Sam rolled her eyes but continued doing her job, a small smile on her face.

* * *

Wildmutt sniffed the ground that he stood on, his teeth bared in a feral snarl as he followed the strange scent. This creature, it was elusive, to say the least. His legs carried him slowly across the mossy ground, his feet not staying in one place for long, so as to avoid making any form of sound.

" _Reduced to a mere mutt, how strangely fitting._ " The voice from earlier chortled in his mind. Wildmutt growled lowly but chose not to do anything else, in fear of alerting his prey. He paused, his gills flaring as he could no longer find the creature's scent, almost as if it had chosen to abandon staying in the one area and flown somewhere else.

He cursed within his mind; this was going to take forever. Climbing onto one of the trees, he sniffed the air in hopes of catching the scent again but was disappointed when he realized that it was too faint.

With a shake of his head, he prepared to jump to another tree but stopped when he heard the sound of footsteps on the floor bellow. Using his amazing sense of smell, he compared it to the team's but realized that it was completely different.

He could smell some sort of metal but it wasn't one that he had encountered before, " **Jaffa! Kree!** " Choosing to lay low, he watched, through his thermal vision, as the apparent Jaffa talked to each other.

" **We will find the creature and bring it back to you, Lord Apophis!** " One of the Jaffa shouted, his weapon pointing at the sky. Before he could fire it though, Wildmutt lunged at the alien. His razor sharp claws allowed him to rip into the man's armor as he knocked out the Jaffa. Using his strong back feet, he somersaulted backwards, avoiding the shot of energy from one of the other snakeheads.

" **A fine hound, you are. Jaffa! Kree! Bring him back to me. I would see him become one of my pets.** " Apophis, Wildmutt assumed, commanded as he walked away. Wildmutt scowled but focused on knocking out the Jaffa in front of him.

" **GAROO!** " The sound waves from his roar surged towards the Jaffa, knocking him into one of the trees. With a careful sense of caution, he approached the downed warrior and sniffed him. Seeing that he was unconscious, he headed back the way he came. The team would need to know about this.

* * *

Jack narrowed his eyes; his body crouched behind a rather big bush, as he pointed his weapon at the creature in front of him. Despite being invisible, he could still make out its form thanks to the rapidly moving wings. It also helped that it was loud, "Here's hoping that it turns visible once we tranquilize it."

"If it didn't, we would be here forever." Daniel shuddered at the thought, as much as he loved the idea of exploring new planets; he didn't want to be on one planet forever.

"Yeah-no. I ain't spending any more time here," Jack replied, his finger hovering over the trigger. Before he could pull it, though, a staff blast scared the creature away. A curse escaped his mouth, "Shit!" Clicking the button on his radio, he spoke to Tea'lc, "What the hell was that, T!?"

" _That was not me, O'Neill,_ " Tea'lc informed him, confusion evident despite his stoic tone.

"Crap," Jack groaned, another curse escaping his mouth. He pressed the button again, "Ok. Let's meet up again. It's obvious that there are Jaffa present here."

It was Sam that responded, " _Understood, Sir._ " The audible click was enough to tell him that she was done speaking. With a sign he looked towards Daniel, an annoyed look on his face, "Somehow... somehow this is your fault. I know it."

"Don't pin this on me," Daniel defended himself, an equally annoyed look on his face, "Despite what you think, I am not a bad luck charm."

"Could have fooled me," Jack mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"So... did anyone figure out which Jaffa sect fired the shot?" Jack asked as he checked his ammo. A curse escaped his breath; there wasn't enough to take on a large amount of Jaffa. This was bad, really bad.

"Indeed. It appears that Apophis himself has come to this planet." Tea'lc stated.

Jack blinked, his panic temporarily forgotten, and looked towards Sam, "Really?" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Daniel perk up.

Sam nodded, her blue eyes narrowing in concentration, "Yeah... he was there. There was one thing, though. Apparently, according to Tea'lc, he kept talking about a fine beast. One that was orange."

"Ben?" It was Daniel that asked the question, his own eyes narrowed in concentration now, "This is bad. If Apophis gets his hands on Ben, and the Omnitrix in connection, then we'll be screwed."

They were startled when said person(beast) entered the small clearing. With a mighty howl, the dog-creature slammed its arm brace and changed back into Ben with an emerald light, "I appreciate your vote of confidence."

"Sorry," Daniel apologized before he paused, "How did you get away from the Jaffa?'

Ben smiled, amused by Daniel's question, "I didn't. I had to knock them all out, although, one got away."

"Impressive," Tea'lc commented, earning a small smirk from Ben, "Did you see Apophis?"

"No. I don't know what Apophis looks like and second, Wildmutt, the form I took, doesn't have eyes." The alien hero replied, a frown on his face, "Although one of them sounded like two people were speaking."

"That's probably Apophis, then," Jack replied, his hands reloading his gun.

Ben nodded, storing the information away for later use, "So, what's the plan then?"

"Apophis knows where Sha're is. If we can catch him, we can get her and Skarra back." Daniel announced a determined expression on his face.

Jack said nothing as he contemplated Daniel's words, a part of him actually wanting to agree. He looked towards Tea'lc, the only one amongst them who knew Apophis intimately, "How many guards would he have with him?"

Tea'lc closed his eyes in thought, "I cannot say for certain, but I would estimate about two to three Jaffa guards. Although, since Ben Tennyson has taken them out, he will call for reinforcements."

Jack groaned, why couldn't things ever be simple? With a sigh, he asked the dreaded question, "How long will that take?"

"Roughly five minutes with the Stargate, but since that is no longer an option, it will take roughly an hour for the reinforcements to arrive," Tea'lc replied, providing a small glimmer of hope.

"Ok... so we need to get him before they arrive, right?" Ben asked for confirmation. Seeing them nod, he couldn't help but sigh, "I just want it noted that I think this is a bad idea. No alien overlord ever goes anywhere with such a small force to begin with. I mean how does he protect himself if the Jaffa are killed?"

Sam blinked, that was actually a very good question. "He has a point, Sir. What's to say that Apophis doesn't have a force field or something like that?"

Tea'lc shook his head, "He does not, Captain Carter. During my time as First Prime, he has never shown any signs of owning that type of technology."

Ben blinked before sighing, "Ok, then. I guess we try and nab him. Don't say I didn't warn you," As he got off the spot that he had been sitting on, he noticed slight indents on the ground. He tilted his head. That was curious.

"Ben?" Jack asked, seeing that Ben was distracted, "You ok?"

Ben shook his head, "I'm fine. Just thought I saw something," He looked towards Jack, a small smile on his face, "But thanks for asking."

"No problem," Jack's hand rested on Ben's shoulder, "We should get going, though. Time's ticking away."

* * *

"So... how long before Apophis shows?" Ben asked Tea'lc. He was lying on the ground, his green eyes staring into the sky, while Tea'lc patiently watched the forest, scanning for any sign of movement.

Tea'lc shook his head, sparing Ben a quick glance before returning to his watchful duty, "I cannot say, Ben Tennyson. Apophis has always been a tricky one, his actions being almost unpredictable."

Ben raised himself up, a curious look on his face as he gazed at Tea'lc's back, "How do you know he will come then? What's not to say that he's hiding somewhere?"

"He will come, of that, I have no doubt," Tea'lc stated, a firmness in his voice that Ben could not help but admire.

"I hope you're right," Ben admitted, his hair blowing in the wind. He could see a storm approaching and if the wind was any indicator, it was going to be a rough one, "Let's just hope he gets here before the storm does."

Tea'lc said nothing, too focused on the small clearing in front of him, but the slight incline of his head informed Ben that he agreed. With a sigh, he laid back on the ground, his eyes gazing back at the sky.

A small smile played on the former First Prime's lips, "I concur," With that said, he returned to watching the clearing, his eyes like a hawk.

* * *

"I'm bored," Jack drawled, his gun lying beside him as he laid flat on the ground, his stomach lying on some sort of soft moss. He looked towards Daniel, hoping to start some sort of conversation, but frowned when he saw the archaeologist looking over some notes, "I cannot believe you are doing that right now. What if Apophis suddenly showed up?" He asked; a scathing look on his face.

Daniel rolled his eyes, "I don't see you complaining about Ben and his lazing around." He pointed towards said person, who was simply staring at the sky. They were roughly a few yards away from Ben and Tea'lc but they stuck to whispering, so as to not give away their location.

"Because," Jack stressed as if talking to a child, "I know he can take care of himself. So, unless you have a magic watch from outer space that can turn you into an alien, I suggest you put the book away."

A few short feet away from the bickering men, Sam was busy reloading her gun, "He has a point, Daniel. You're not trained like us, and the only thing protecting you from getting killed is the fact that you have a gun and a bulletproof vest. So please, for our sakes, take up your gun and stay alert."

Daniel frowned; they had made a good point, as he picked up the handgun that lay to the side. Why had he taken it off in the first place? He shook his head; it didn't matter, "So... you guys wanna talk?"

"No." Jack's reply was quick and blunt, "Your version of talking involves prattling on about history, something that I do not like." He ignored the slight pout on Daniel's face in favor of looking down the scope of his gun.

Daniel made to report, when the sound of branches being stepped on hit his ears, "Did you hear that?" His only response was them dropping to the ground as staff blasts rained into the clearing.

"CRAP!" Daniel winced at Jack's roar, his own body diving for cover, as they tried to avoid the fatal energy blasts.

Jack raised himself back up and fired a few rounds in the direction from where the blasts were coming from. He scowled, though, when the blasts didn't stop. In fact, they appeared to increase in speed and ferocity as each blast scorched the ground.

" _Ben!_ " Jack exclaimed urgently into the radio, " _If you can do your thing, I would appreciate it._ " His only response was a flash of emerald light, signifying that Ben had transformed.

When the light faded, there stood a blue moth-like creature with what appeared to be a cloak around it.

It was Sam that first voiced her thoughts, though most of her attention was on not getting shot, "He kind of looks like the Mothman." She fired her rifle into the dense cluster of trees, before noting a slight shimmer of gold hidden by the leaves, "Hopefully, he can do something that can get us out of this mess."

* * *

" **BIG CHILL!** " The moth-man like alien exclaimed, its voice creating chills in the spines of all that heard it, as it flapped its wings. It's green bug eyes were narrowed in anger as it breathed in some of the frigid air, " _How many are there?_ "

"I cannot say. I expect that it is only Apophis who engages us, but I cannot be certain." Tea'lc replied as he fired back with his own staff weapon.

Big Chill said nothing, its body becoming translucent as it flew towards where the attacks originated. It barely felt the shots going through its body, except for a slight burn, as it breathed out a stream of pure ice. After a few minutes, it stopped to gaze at the now frozen forest.

"Holy Shit!" Jack exclaimed from behind the cryogenic alien, his head sticking out slightly, "...That is sooo cool."

"And highly improbable," Sam muttered to herself, her blue eyes wide as she gazed at the frozen trees.

Big Chill ignored all of them, his intangibility fading as he gazed at the frozen trees. It narrowed its eyes as the frozen trees stood within the windy forest... there! It was slight, but something did move, " _We're not done yet._ "

"Understood!" Jack shouted, his left hand holding onto the rifle, as he got up from the ground. Both Sam and Daniel followed as well, with Tea'lc coming over to the three of them, "Can you make a shield for us?"

Big Chill nodded before breathing out a stream of freezing cold ice that slowly built itself up into a wall. " _Will that work?_ " It asked, a smirk on its insectoid face as it floated back to the ground, its body phasing through the ice that had formed, " _The ice won't hold for long, so we need to implement our plan as soon as_ _possible._ " With that said Big Chill slammed the Omnitrix symbol and turned back into a human.

"Sorry about that." Ben apologized, "But Big Chill naturally lowers the temperature of the surrounding area, which would have alerted Apophis to our presence."

"It's ok," Jack waved of Ben's apology, "We all know how important the element of surprise is." He looked back at Sam, Daniel and Tea'lc, a thoughtful frown on his face, "For the plan to work, someone will have to sneak up behind him, while the rest act as bait for Apophis."

Before anyone could say anything, the sound of ice cracking alerted them to the fact that they needed to get out of the area, but before anyone could do anything, a large boulder of ice came down upon them, knocking them out.

The last thing Ben saw was the fading image of a dark-skinned man approaching him.

* * *

Sunlight filtered into the straw hut, the young man lying inside it groaning as his eyes fluttered open, "What the? Where am I?" As he got up, a glaring headache surged within his head, forcing him to his knees.

" _You were knocked unconscious by a large block of ice, what else were you_ _expecting? An ice cream cone?_ " The voice asked sarcastically as Ben cradled his sore head.

The man ignored the voice, so far it had been everything but pleasant. As he looked around, he noticed that his gun was gone and that there was a hole in his shirt.

He noticed a small wooden door to the side, one that had just been opened. He felt the cool breeze brush against his skin as he walked towards it, only to be stopped as young boy materialized before his very eyes, "What the? Who are you?"

The boy looked human, despite the branches seemingly growing out of his hair, "I am Nafrayu." He pointed his finger at Ben, "What is your name?" The curiosity was evident in his voice and Ben couldn't help but smile.

"Well Nafrayu, my name is Benjamin Kirby Tennyson but you can call me Ben," He gently tapped the young child on the nose. It was intended as a kind, gentle, gesture, but the Omnitrix took that as an opportune time to scan the child's DNA.

" **Uncataloged DNA detected. All functions not available. Please standby.** " It intoned in a mechanical voice making Ben mutter under his breath.

Nafrayu tilted his head cutely, kind of like a puppy, as he gazed at the Omnitrix, "What does that do? Is it a weapon?"

"No," Ben denied, his head shaking in the negative, "It allows me to transform into other species, you know? Allows me to experience what they feel every day of their lives."

"An interesting device you have, Benjamin," An older man stated from the door, a small smile on his face. He stood next to the young alien as Ben got off his knee, "And I see that Nafrayu has gotten to know you well."

"A pleasure to meet you," Ben stated as he shook hands with the strange alien, "Now... what is your name?"

The man gestured for him to follow him as they walked out of the hut, "You may call me Opher, now you must be hungry so we have made some food for you. I hope you will enjoy it."

Ben nodded his head in appreciation, "Thanks. So do you guys live here?" He asked as he followed Opher to a small clearing.

"We do. Everything we need, we get from Gaia itself." Opher nodded, a smile on his face as he touched the ground.

Ben paused, storing away the name of the planet for later use, "That is commendable. Where I come from, humans have ravaged the planet and destroyed most of its nature."

Opher frowned, "That is disappointing, but to be expected. You are young, you will learn." He passed Ben a small wooden bowl as they sat on a log.

Ben grinned as he drank some of the soup like substance, before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "I've got to ask, but where are my friends. The ones that I came with?"

"They are resting," Opher replied as he ate some of his own food, "We moved them to another room so that we could speak." He put down the bowl in his hands and stared at Ben, "Tell me... why did you attack those other men? What had they done to you?"

Ben sighed, he was afraid of that, "You must understand... those men are bad people. They don't care about life, they only care about themselves. I attacked them, not because I wanted to cause harm, but because I knew that if somebody didn't stop them, then they would go on to cause untold pain to entire civilizations."

Opher sighed, "But who gave you the authority to judge those men?"

"I know where you are going with this," Ben told Opher before he gestured to Nafrayu, "If you saw that he was hurt, would you allow him to continue suffering when you know that you have the power to help him?" Ben asked.

Opher shook his head vehemently, "Never. He is but a child; it is my duty to keep him safe as he is too young to look after himself."

Ben smiled, now he was getting somewhere, "Now what if someone said that Nafrayu was not hurt, to leave him be. Would you allow yourself to stand on the side as people walked by, seeing the young child's suffering, and did nothing?"

The older alien fell silent; he didn't know how to answer that question. Finally, a small smile appeared on the man's face, "You are far wiser than you appear."

Ben shrugged, "I try. Still, the point stands. Just as it is your moral obligation to look after Nafrayu, it is mine to look after those who cannot protect themselves."

"... I see." Opher replied, "You are truly a wise man and it is my honor to have gotten to speak to you. But alas, our time must come to an end. Anteaus tells me that your friends have awoken." Opher got off his log and motioned for Ben to follow him.

Ben tilted his head in confusion, "How do you know that? Are you telepathic or something like that?"

"I do not know what this telepathic thing is, but my kind is able to read the surface thoughts of all living things." Opher replied as he moved some branches out of the way, "And yes. We did read your thoughts, but only to learn your language." He bowed his head in apology.

Ben frowned, he didn't like people digging around his head... but he had to admit that he would have done the same thing. With a small sigh, he waved of Opher's apology, "It's ok. Let's just go find my friends."

* * *

Jack groaned as he stared at the humanlike aliens, or alienlike humans, in front of him, irritation evident on his face, "We're not in the assassination business, just so you know. That person, the one that we tried to capture, is a bad guy."

"Yet you sought to attack him first?" The other alien, a woman, asked.

Jack frowned, "We just wanted to take him back to our world and have a long talk with him." He paused as he spotted another one of the aliens approach with a familiar figure in tow. "Ben! You ok?" He asked, worry for his teammate evident in his voice.

Ben smiled and waved back, "I'm fine. I've just been having a talk with Opher," He gestured to the alien next to him, "What about you guys?"

Jack breathed out a sigh of relief, "Nothing much, just trying to explain to these guys that we don't mean any harm."

"Don't bother." Ben replied with a small sigh, "They have telepathic abilities, meaning that they can read the intention behind your words."

Jack frowned that complicated things. He looked towards Daniel, "You wanna have a go at this?" Daniel was probably the most honest person he knew.

Daniel nodded, "We're from a race of people that want to learn your ways, to learn your medicine."

The alien shook his head, "No. You will rest, and then you will go and take your ways with you." He started to get up when Ben's watch beeped loudly.

" **Sample acquired. All functions now available.** " The watch announced in a mechanical voice.

Sam looked at Ben, an inquisitive gleam in her eyes, "Ben... does that mean what I think it means?" If so, then it confirmed what she had thought, their hosts weren't human.

Ben nodded, "Yep. It means that I can now turn into one of these guys." As he started fiddling with his watch, trying to find the new alien, he missed the incredulous look the aliens sent him, Opher and Nafrayu excluded.

"Him turning into a Nox? I find that unlikely!" The younger version of Opher denied; disbelief evident in his tone, "They are a young species, and their ways cause harm to all. How can he become one of us, when his own species destroy everything in its path?"

Opher nodded, "That is true... but as you said, they are a young species. Unlike us, they have the potential to learn... to grow. We can teach them, teach them a better path." He nodded to Ben, "This young man is someone special... Gaia has shown me a future where there is no more fighting amongst the universe."

The woman's eyes widened, "You received a vision?" Seeing Opher nod, the woman quickly turned to her companion, "Anteaus... this is great. Gaia has spoken. The elders must know of this." The three started a conversation, trying to figure out what to do.

Jack blinked, confused as to what was going on. He looked to Ben, hoping for an explanation, "Mind explaining what's going on?"

Ben shook his head, "I have no idea, sorry. All I know is that Gaia is the planet and they are the Nox."

"That's something at least," Jack grumbled.

"Got it!" Ben suddenly exclaimed, a grin on his face, "I've found the Nox in the Omnitrix." He blinked suddenly when he saw everyone staring at him, the Nox included, "Sorry."

Daniel shook his head, amused, before turning to Anteaus "Do you have anyone in charge that we can speak to? Someone that we can make our case to?"

The Nox shook his head, "No. None of them will want to see you," He paused as he gazed at Ben, "Maybe him, though. It is not often that we get a vision from Gaia." He smiled at Jack, "Gaia is not the planet, despite what Ben has told you. While it is an apt description, it is in fact, the collective consciousness of every living thing on the planet."

"That's amazing." Daniel announced, before looking to Jack, "Think about it, Jack. Memories, experiences, feelings... they're shared by every single Nox and animal."

Jack rolled his eyes, but he had to admit... it sounded amazing.

Anteaus smiled as he looked toward the female, "They understand that at least. Maybe they do have potential, Lya."

"Indeed... Come, the one that you had attacked has awoken." Lya stated as she gestured for them to follow her.

* * *

Sam frowned as she walked into the small hut, her eyes not leaving the Jaffa, "Sir... if he leaves and returns to Apophis, he could expose the Nox."

Jack nodded, "I know." He looked towards Anteaus and Lya, "If they leave, and they spot you, you will be in serious danger. Allow us to take them, we'll take them back to our world and make sure that they can't reveal your existence."

Anteaus shook his head, "No. If they ask to go with you, then you may take them. But if not, then they shall go back to their own world." He approached one of the Jaffa and smiled, "You are getting better. Soon you will be healed," His smile turned into a frown, "And then you will take your ways with you. Gaia has no place for those who practice senseless violence."

The Jaffa glared at him, "You have no right to judge me. I live only for my god, and in return, he shall reward me with glory." He tried to throttle Anteaus, but found that he was still too weak to move, "Luck is on your side, but when my strength returns, I will return to Apophis with all of your heads."

Tea'lc shook his head sadly, "Can you not see that Apophis is a false god? He is no more divine that you and me. Reject Apophis and see the truth, Shak'l." He begged his former student, but Shak'l was not having it.

"Lies! Shol'va Shol'va!" Shak'l screamed. His body lurched forward as if trying to attack Tea'lc but could not. A small wave from Lya and the Jaffa fell back asleep.

Anteaus frowned, sadness etched onto his face, "His heart is filled with great darkness... I fear that he may be worse than even you." He left the hut, deep in his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Tea'lc... but I don't think you will be able to convince them," Jack stated as his hand rested on Tea'lc's shoulder.

"I know, Colonel O'Neill," Tea'lc stated, his emotions unreadable, "I had hoped that I could get through to him, but Apophis has a strong grip on all of their hearts... one that will not be broken easily."

Sam frowned, "I'm sorry Tea'lc."

Ben crossed his arms, "No. Everything has a weak point. Spend enough time and you will find it. You may not be able to convince him now... but maybe later on, you will have a better result."

Tea'lc smiled, "Indeed."

"Well," Jack started, "I don't mean to break this great bonding moment, but we need to still figure out how to prevent the Jaffa from revealing their existence."

Ben smiled, "I might have a solution to that. One of my aliens can manipulate electrical currents, so with great care, I could probably administer a shock strong enough to wipe their memory of the Nox."

"That could work, sir." Sam announced, "A strong enough shock, with great care, could potentially wipe their memories without causing any real harm."

Jack nodded, "Good. We'll go with that, still better clear it with the Nox. They don't seem to be very keen on us taking the Jaffa with us." He jumped in shock when Anteaus suddenly appeared beside him.

"You would be correct," Anteaus announced, "But if you can ensure that no harm will come to them, we will allow you to wipe their memories of this world and of the Nox."

Jack nodded, "Ok. We'll do that."

Taking that as his cue, Ben chose the alien he needed.

" **AmpFibian!** " The new alien announced.

* * *

 _ **Omnitrix Database - AmpFibian -Amperi**_

* * *

 _AmpFibian is the Omnitrix's DNA sample of an Amperi from an unknown planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. Amperi are jellyfish-like beings. They have four tentacle-like arms and two legs. Three hood-like parts make up their head and torso, with the uppermost being the head and the lower two being the torso. They are blue in color, with a white pattern covering their entire body. They are aquatic but can survive out of water._

 _Amperi are masters of the electromagnetic spectrum, with the ability to produce, absorb, and redirect electricity._

 _Amperi can sense the electrical pulses in the brains of other life forms, allowing them to read their thoughts._

 _Amperi move by floating gently through the air, flying more quickly, or by becoming pure electrical current and traveling along power lines._

 _Amperi can breathe underwater and swim at high speeds._

* * *

"This will only take a few minutes," The blue jellyfish-like alien announced, his blue tentacles touching Shak'l's forehead. With a slight grunt, he sent a small surge of electricity into the Jaffa's head, "Crap... We've got a problem. I can't erase all of his memories." Releasing the head, he floated back to the team.

"What does that mean?" Jack asked as he crossed his arms.

AmpFibian shook his head, a small sigh escaping his body, "I've ensured that he won't remember the Nox, but I wasn't able to wipe his memory of me using the Omnitrix..."

"Which means that when he wakes up, word of you will spread," Jack finished. "Just great. Ok... we'll finish up, find Apophis, wipe his memories and then get going. We've got to figure out a plan with how to deal with this new situation"

Opher, who had walked back into the room, smiled sadly at AmpFibian, "We will help you restrain Apophis so that you can wipe his memory, but after that, we wish to speak to you privately."

AmpFibian nodded his head in understanding before following his team out of the room.

* * *

Apophis snarled as he blasted one of the few remaining Jaffa with him, his anger palpable, " **Where is Shak'l!? Can no one do anything right!?** " His eyes glowed golden as he stared down the Jaffa, " **Find him or your heads will be forfeit.** "

As he removed his hand from the Jaffa's head, he heard something approach, " **What the- Who goes there?** " His only response was something hitting him in the neck, " **Gack!** " As he grabbed the offending object, he noticed it was some sort of metal dart with feathers sticking out of it.

Pulling it out, he felt the world around him spin. As he tried to find his balance, three more darts were shot, one for each Jaffa present, " **Show yourself, Tau'ri. I know it is you who attack me- Ugh! You will not kill me!** " He groaned out as he fell to his knees.

As darkness overtook him, the last thing he saw was a flying, blue jellyfish approaching him, "Don't worry. I have no plans of getting my hands stained with your filthy blood."

* * *

"It's done," AmpFibian announced as he allowed the transformation to end, "He won't remember any of you, of that I promise." While he could not see the Nox, he could still sense their bio-electrical signature in the area.

Opher was the first to reappear, followed by Anteaus and Lya, "Thank you, though I wish it did not have to come to this."

Jack rolled his eyes discreetly, he didn't want to insult the Nox, "That's great and all, but we have to go and report all of this to Hammond now." He enjoyed their winces, a small part of him crooning in pleasure.

Ben shook his head in amusement, before looking back at Opher, "Sometimes... not everything can be solved with peace. The Goa'uld are prime examples of that."

"You may be right," Anteaus admitted, "After hearing from Opher your explanation as to why you did what you did, I have come to see that your way, while not preferable, does have some merit."

Ben blinked, he hadn't expected that. Sg1's wide eyes informed him that they felt the same surprise. Shaking his head, he smiled at the Nox, "Thank you. We try to help people, and as you said, we are a young species. We still have room to grow."

Anteaus smiled; his head bowing in respect, "Opher is right. You truly are wiser than your age. Come, we shall escort you back to the gate."

Ben nodded in thanks, "Thank you. I hope that we can become good friends, one day."

"I hope for that as well," Opher smiled as he walked ahead of Ben. Every now and then he would stop and pick some of the sap from the trees and lick it.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, Daniel and Sam talking about some of the wildlife they had spotted.

It wasn't long before they found themselves on top of a small hill, the same one that they had appeared on when they arrived on the planet. Anteaus waved his hand, the gate reappearing where it had last stood.

"You were the ones to hide the gate?" Daniel asked, a little bit astounded by the fact. It wasn't often they met someone, or something, that could hide other objects at will.

Lya nodded, "Yes. We wanted to know what kind of person you were...and learn about you, we did." With a wave of her hand, the Stargate formed an operational wormhole.

Jack absentmindedly sent the GDO code, "So… you also hid the flying bird creature?" He blushed when the Nox's attention turned towards him.

Anteaus nodded, "Indeed. Now you must go. We must inform our elders of what has transpired today." He paused, "You were worried about us, were you not?" Seeing them nod, he turned towards Opher, an unspoken message being communicated. Waving his hand, SG-1 heard something behind them turn visible.

Ben was the first one to turn, "WHOA!" Where there was once nothing, a floating city now stood, "My god!" He turned back towards the Nox, a stunned look on his face.

Opher smiled, a mischievous look in his eyes, "Worry not, we are not defenseless." As SG-1 gawked at the floating city, he handed Ben a small grey stone, "When that turns blue, you must return so that you can talk to our leaders. Maybe, we can make an alliance that can benefit both our species."

Ben nodded, a serious expression on his face, as he pocketed the stone, "I will." Turning back to Sam, he nudged her shoulder, "Come on. You can gawk another time."

"They looked so defenseless," Sam muttered to herself as she walked through the gate, Ben following her.

* * *

Ben sighed as he walked down the ramp, Jack and Daniel following behind him. General Hammond was at the bottom of the ramp, Sam conversing with him about what had happened, "I've made my decision, General." He paused... no... he had to do this. His friends and family would want him to do this, "I'll join you, on the condition that I join SG-1."

Hammond smiled; this was great news, "Thank you. We'll need to take care of the paperwork, but this should work out."

Ben nodded as he took off his gun, "I hope so. After seeing into the mind of Apophis, and his Jaffa, I've realized that I can't stand by and watch everyone suffer when I know that I can help them."

"Commendable. Your family would be proud." Hammond replied, a kind smile on his face, "There is going to be a debriefing in ten minutes, so go get changed."

Ben winced as he slowly inched out of the embarkment room, "Yeah... I can't do that. Bad memories and all that. So just call me when it's all over." Finishing his portion, he made to flee but found that he couldn't move.

Sam snickered as Tea'lc held onto the neck of Ben's shirt, "Yeah, we don't believe that. Go get changed."

"Fine," Ben grumbled as Tea'lc let go of his shirt, "I'll be there. Don't expect me to like it, though."

As he walked out of the room, he heard the rest of the team laugh and a small chuckle from General Hammond.

* * *

 **It's done! Chapter 2 is finally complete at a whopping 11,253 words! It's my longest chapter to date. I expect reviews. You hear me! If I don't get a lot, I'll sick Rath on you.**

 _ **LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING READERS WHO ARE HIDING BEHIND THE SCREEN! IF YOU DON'T LEAVE A REVIEW I'LL SMASH MY WAY THROUGH THE SCREEN AND BEAT YOU TO A PULP!**_

 **Ok maybe I won't do that, but the point still stands. Rath is watching**

 **Now to the fun part: SHOUT OUTS!**

Misanthropist Wordsmith: Bro... I've read your stories. They're very interesting.

Massivereader-Reviewer: Thanks for the review. I only chose to shout you out because your username made me laugh.

Polaruspax: Thank you for your review. It was quite detailed, and I enjoyed reading it.

 **I don't know when the second chapter is coming out; it took me a month to write this after all lol.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 guys: Here it is.**

 **Sorry it took so long, but I wanted to make it a long chapter.**

 **Can't promise that the next chapter will be as long, but it should come out sooner... depending on when I start on chapter 4.**

 **Going to work on some of my other stories.**

* * *

Taking a deep breath of air, Ben breathed a sigh of relief as he walked through the street; his hands stuffed in his jean's pockets, "Thanks for helping me with this, Daniel."

The archaeologist shrugged, "Don't mention it. Your new apartment is right next to mine so it only made sense that I helped you settle in." He paused as a couple of kids passed in front of him, a small smile on his face, "Besides, this now means we can get to know each other better."

Ben nodded, "So... how long have you been working at Cheyenne Mountain?" He didn't want to pry, but he was curious as to why someone like him worked at the mountain.

"Not that long actually," Daniel admitted with a sheepish smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his head, "It's only been about two months since I joined." He and Ben both turned left at a corner, "At times, though, it feels like I've worked there for a lifetime."

Ben grinned, "I can imagine. With everything that goes on there, I can see how you would feel like that." His nose wrinkled in distaste as he passed a smoking hobo, "I guess you have smokers here as well?"

The hobo glared at Ben, unhappy with his comment, "Judgmental little prick. Don't you got anything better to do than judge me?" He waved his bottle of booze at Ben in a threatening gesture... well it would have been threatening if the hobo hadn't been stone drunk.

Ben sweat dropped as he waved his hands in a placating gesture, "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

"Stupid little shits..." The hobo snorted as he took a sip of his booze, "Can't leave an old man in peace, can they? I'll show them, all of them."

As the man continued to ramble to himself, both Ben and Daniel slowly walked away from the, obviously, crazy man.

Once they were a safe distance away, Ben released a sigh of breath, "Man...that could have gone better."

"Maybe," Daniel agreed, "But it wasn't all your fault. Mostly cause he was drunk, which made him far more agitated than he should have been," Glancing backward, he saw that the hobo had fallen face forward on the ground, "I think we should go before anyone starts asking questions."

"Agreed," Ben started walking faster as he followed Daniel, "How far away are we from the place?"

Daniel looked at the younger man, "Not that far actually. Should be there in about a few seconds," He shook his head ruefully, "We would have been there sooner but I wanted to show you around town, so to speak."

"It's ok." Ben waved of Daniel's explanation, "I would have needed to do this eventually. This is just allowing me to get a head start."

"Glad I could be of help then," Daniel smiled at Ben. He paused as he turned into a small apartment complex, "And... here we are, your new home."

Rolling his eyes, Ben shoved Daniel playfully as he approached the building. Looking around, he noticed that there was a nice garden at the sides of the entrance, giving the entire building a natural look.

The hero whistled softly, "Well, at least it looks nice."

Daniel nodded in agreement as he fished for the key in his pocket, "Yeah, sometimes I just like to come out here and think. It's my way of relaxing after a busy day at work." Finally finding the small key, he put it in the lock and turned. Once he felt the doorknob unlock, he opened the door and held it open for Ben.

"Thanks," Ben said as he walked through the door and into a long hallway, "So is your apartment on this floor or on another?" As he waited for a reply, he noticed that almost all of the doors were brown while the walls themselves were a bright yellow.

"It's on the floor above us," Daniel replied as he checked his mailbox. Pausing, he tossed Ben a small key, "Why don't you go and check out your apartment?"

"I will," Ben replied as he caught the keys in mid-air, "Maybe even check out yours while I'm at it."

Daniel shook his head in the negative, "I wouldn't recommend it. My place is a mess, so it isn't ready for visitors yet. Give me an hour to get it into shape, and then you can come over."

"It's a deal," Ben gave Daniel a half-hearted salute as he walked away.

* * *

Ben took a deep breath as he stared at the door in front of him. Somehow, he didn't know how, but Paradox was to blame for this. He wasn't upset; he just found it to be really odd.

 _B10_

A small chuckle escaped his mouth as he unlocked the door with his key. Walking into the room, the first thing he noticed was the white walls that surrounded him, "Well...this isn't depressing."

Tossing the keys onto the table, he allowed himself to rest on the brown couch that faced the sole window in the living room. He could see tons of birds resting on the branches of trees that stood outside his window, all of them chirping a cheerful song as he watched them, "Although this does help make up for it."

As he sat there, all alone in the room, he sighed as he pulled out the small box that Paradox had given him, unsure as to what to do with it, "Why would Paradox give you to me? Just what kind of secrets are you holding, my friend?"

He knew that it was supposed to help him when he was down, but something felt odd about it. It prickled in Ben's mind, though he could not identify what was wrong with it.

As he fiddled with the box, pressing everything that might be a button, he cursed. This was getting him nowhere...and probably for a good reason. Everything that Paradox did, he did with good reason.

As he put the box back in his pocket, he made a silent dedication to trust Paradox; the box would open in its due time.

He sighed as he got off the couch, "Time to fix this place up and make it my new home," He tilted his head to the side so as to get the crick in his neck out, "That's better." Going to the windows, he closed the blinds so that none could see into the room.

Once he was certain of his privacy, he activated the Omnitrix and turned the dial to his fastest alien, "Time to go fast," Slamming down on the faceplate, he could feel the transformation taking place as the familiar green light overtook his vision, " **XLR8!** "

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database - XLR8 - Kineceleran**

* * *

 _XLR8 (pronounced "Accelerate") is the Omnitrix's DNA sample of a Kineceleran from the planet Kinet._

 _XLR8 can manipulate friction to reach speeds of 500 mph within two seconds and is fast enough to run on water. He can accelerate so quickly that time appears to completely stop to him._

 _XLR8 also has very high dexterity, being able to type on keyboards or keypads at high speeds. Using this skill, he can input any code to deactivate devices. XLR8 also seem to think, act and react at superhuman speed as well, as he was able to think of a million combinations in a few seconds._

 _XLR8 can deliver speed-enhanced attacks with rapid successions, such as excessively kicking or stabbing enemies with great speed and strength. XLR8 has quick reflexes, allowing him to dodge attacks with little effort._

 _XLR8 is capable of creating tornadoes by generating a centripetal vacuum powerful enough to lift a To'kustar, either by running in a circular pattern or spinning at supersonic speeds._

 _XLR8's scissor-like claws can cut through many materials with relative ease. His tail is prehensile allowing him to grab onto other objects. XLR8 can recover from injuries faster than other species._

* * *

Once the green light faded, a blue and black, semi-armored, velociraptor-like alien stood tall in Ben's place, " _I haven't used this guy in quite a while...here's hoping I still have the skills to use him effectively._ "

Using his amazing speed, he zoomed around his place of residence; a black and blue trail following his every movement, as he reorganized everything in the apartment to his liking.

Coming to a slow stop, XLR8 paused as he gazed at the reorganized room. He would need to change the color of the walls to something more preferable, maybe green. Besides that though, everything was to his liking.

Seeing no reason to stay in alien form, he slammed the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and ended the transformation. With another flash of light, he was back to being human, "And I'm done."

He swept a hand through his hair when he heard a knock on the door. That was probably Daniel, "I'm coming."

As he opened the door, he saw Daniel standing there, and Jack to the side with a pack of canned beer in his left hand. He gestured for the both of them to come in, a dumb look on his face, "Not that I'm complaining but what are you doing here, Jack?"

"Well I was going to help you unpack," Jack answered as he entered the room, a grin on his face, "But since it looks like you've got that covered, I guess we could just get to know each other better," He raised the pack of beer into the air and jiggled it a bit, though not so much that it would cause it to fizz when opened.

Ben grinned as he followed Jack into the kitchen, Daniel right behind him, "Thanks. Also, remind me to thank Hammond for getting all this stuff," He gestured to the television and furniture on the other side of the counter, "There is no way I could have afforded this on my own."

"Says the guy who can form pure diamonds with but a thought," Jack rolled his eyes as he put the beer in the fridge, "I'm certain you could buy an entire country for yourself if given the chance."

"I did," Ben stated with a sly grin as he poured himself a cup of water from the sink. He almost laughed at the dumbstruck look on their faces, "Oh don't look at me like that. It was back in my old dimension." That seemed to calm them a bit, though the shock was still there.

Jack was the first to recover, though there was a grin on his face, "Ok, you've got me curious; why would you do something like that?"

The hero fell silent, slightly worrying both Jack and Daniel as he looked at the ceiling, his mind going back to the occasion that had started it all. He looked back at Jack, a neutral look on his face, "Jack, I like you, but there are just some things that I'm not ready to talk about." He took a sip of his water, "I told Sam about the circumstances of my coming here because I was emotionally raw. It had all just happened, hell even I was surprised by my willingness to spill about what happened."

"I understand," Jack nodded; a small frown on his face as he thought about the things in his own life that he didn't want others to know about, "We won't pry into your past. When you're willing, I'm certain you will tell us." He smiled at Ben as he walked to one of the chairs, "Besides, there are other topics we can talk about."

"That's true," Ben mused, a smile on his face as he sat in a recliner chair, "So what do you guys want to know? I'm an open book," He stretched his arms out to indicate just how open he is.

Daniel laughed lightly from the soft couch he sat on, "Well...what did you do for a living?"

Ben grinned; this was going to be good. Sending a smirk at the two men, he crossed his arms behind his head, "I was a plumber."

Jack was mid-sip when he heard that, meaning that the water in his mouth was sprayed out all over the new carpet. Seeing the glare on his host's face, Jack waved his hands in apology, "I'm sorry about that. You just caught me by surprise. You don't seem like the type of person who would clean toilets."

Ben wasn't surprised by that fact, mostly because others reacted the same way whenever he told them. Although, by the looks of it, it seemed that Daniel was far more respectful than Jack was, mostly by not spewing water all over the carpet.

"It's ok," Ben replied, the smile on his face reassuring the men that he wasn't upset, "I can see how you would be confused, but no, I don't clean toilets. The Plumbers, despite their names, are actually an intergalactic peacekeeping force."

"...so you guy are like the UN's peacekeeping forces?" Daniel asked as he adjusted his glasses. He cursed within his mind for not bringing a notebook, but hindsight is twenty-twenty.

Ben hesitated, "Sort of. We were more like space police." He looked at the Omnitrix, memories flashing before his very eyes, "Our duty as Plumbers came with many responsibilities; the foremost being the enforcement of the Galactic Codes of Conduct."

Daniel perked up in interest, "So if someone chose to violate those codes, what would happen?"

Ben sipped some of the water in his cup, his mouth having gone dry, as he looked at Daniel, "It honestly depends on how severe the crime is and what kind of effect it has on others."

"Let's go with the worst case scenario," Jack stated. He wouldn't admit it out loud but this topic was really interesting, "Say somebody like Hitler but on a galaxy-wide scale."

Ben whistled, he hadn't heard that one in a while, "In such a case, we would normally send the person and all of their co-conspirators to the Null Void."

Jack blinked, that sounded creepy enough to scare even the devil, "And the Null Void is?"

"So this is me assuming that you guys have the Superman comics here," Ben started as he tried to think of the best way to describe the horrid dimension, "But the Null Void is a lot like the Phantom Zone. The main difference, though, is that it doesn't strip you of a physical body but instead ebbs away at your life force until your nothing more than a husk of your former self," He paused as he gauged their reactions, "You guys ok?"

"Yeah," Jack waved of Ben's concern, "I just can't think of living in a place like that."

Ben scoffed, "Trust me; you shouldn't even bother trying to imagine it. Just thinking about it can drive most people insane, especially if they have done time there."

"Really?" Daniel asked as he looked at Ben with inquisitive eyes, "That seems kind of far-fetched."

The skepticism he felt was evident to Ben, but the alien hero did not begrudge the archaeologist, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's not true." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, as he stared Daniel dead in the eye, "You need to understand that people will do whatever it takes to avoid going to prison, especially when that prison is something like the Null Void. I've known people, mostly aliens, who have gouged out their own eyes, just for the sake of not having to look at the horrid place."

Seeing the disturbed look on Daniel's face, Jack patted him on the back, "He's right. Desperation drives people to do extreme things, including self-mutilation."

Daniel nodded, it made sense but a part of him found it too hard to accept, "I think I need some water."

"It's a hard truth," Ben admitted as he stood up, "But the sooner you accept it, the better. Trying to fight it will only cause more heartache." He paused, "I speak from experience when I say this...don't deny what you know to be the truth."

Jack nodded, "He's right. I won't bother to sugarcoat it; there _will_ be situations where the truth is too painful to accept." He swallowed the saliva that had formed in his mouth, "What matters is our ability to keep moving forward, to not allow it to weigh us down."

Daniel snorted, although there was a faint smile on his face, "How did our conversation get so depressing all of a sudden?"

"While I don't have the answer to that question," Ben started with a grin as he went to the kitchen, "I do have a solution. You can thank Jack for this one." Opening the fridge, he pulled out four bottles of Budweiser, "I want you guys to meet man's best friend, right after the dog, beer!"

Jack grinned as he was handed a beer, "I was wondering when we were going to open up these bad boys," His grin widened as he pulled the tab on the can, "Nothing like a good old beer to wash away our worries eh?"

Ben rolled his eyes as he handed Daniel a can, "Something like that," He paused as he stared at the can in his hand, before a small chuckle broke out, "A small part of me is glad to be here, you know?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, that was kind of a weird thing to say in his opinion, "But didn't you lose your family when you came here?" He winced in pain when he was jabbed in the side. It didn't take a genius to know that it was Daniel who had done the deed, "What!? I was just asking a question."

Daniel glared at him, his blue eyes indicating his disapproval, "There are certain questions that should not be asked, I thought you knew that?"

"It's ok, Daniel," Ben chuckled as he took a sip of his beer, "I understand what he meant, and I'm not offended at all." He closed his eyes as a small smile came to his lips, "This world, universe, reality, whatever you want to call it, is a new chance at life for me. No one knows who I am, they don't know what I've done, and as such, they don't have expectations for me." He opened back his eyes and stared at Jack's, "I am a no one...and I like it. I've spent so much time in the spotlight, my very actions being judged by others, that this is a well-deserved vacation."

Daniel stared at Ben, a disapproving frown on his face, "You seem to have gotten over your family's death quite easily,"

Ben glared at Daniel, his emerald eyes burning a hole into Daniel's head, "No...I haven't. Despite what you think, I still feel great hatred for the _Monster_ that killed them. It's only been a week since I joined the SGC, but every time I look at myself in the mirror...all I see is a failure. I see a person that was too slow, too weak, and too kindhearted." Ben paused as he tried to regain his breath, "I've made mistakes...mistakes that have cost me. I've learned from them, but what use does it do me to continue wallowing in pity?"

"Oh...I'm sorry," Daniel apologized, his head bowed in shame. He felt like kicking himself in the ass for making such an assumption, "I misjudged...I made a mistake and all I can say is I'm sorry."

Jack sighed, "Let's just forget about this little tidbit and drink our beer in peace. Maybe watch some TV while we're at it?" He silently prayed that Ben accepted the idea.

Ben snorted as he drank some more beer, "Fine."

* * *

 **SGC - The Next Day**

* * *

Sam smiled as she walked towards the briefing room, amused by the sight in front of her, "Rough night?"

"You could say that," Ben replied, his green eyes covered by shades that he had borrowed from Jack, "You can thank your co-workers for that by the way. They kept me up so late last night that I was only able to get in about three hours of sleep." He paused as he tried to gather his thoughts, "When you see them, tell them both that they are never coming back to my place. I'd do it myself, but I need to get some coffee first and try to look awake."

A small laugh escaped his co-worker's mouth, "I'll be sure to do that."

"Thanks," Ben groaned as he continued walking, "So I remember Jack saying something about a mission. That true?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "P3X-8596. We don't know much about it, but the Stargate appears to be in some sort of temple or tomb."

That piqued Ben's interest, "Better hope it's a tomb then, cause if it turns out it's a temple, then we better be prepared to meet people who think we are gods and goddesses" He paused as he opened a door for Sam, "After you, my lady."

Sam rolled her eyes in amusement as she walked through the door, Ben following after her, "Thanks. So what do you suggest then? I mean it's not like we can go and pretend to be divine beings, we'd be discovered faster than the speed of light."

"I'm not suggesting anything of the sort," Ben assured her as they approached the cafeteria, "Well, I mean we could do that but it would require you guys pretending to be slaves and me your evil god." He grinned at her, "Something tells me, though, that you guys would not like that."

"While that would be a sight to see, you are right. Jack would fight you every step of the way, and while it would help sell the image of a slave, it would also probably get him killed." Sam gave him a wry smirk as she poured herself a cup of coffee, "Besides, why do you get to be the god? I'm certain anyone of us could do a pretty good job of it."

"I don't doubt that," Ben replied, "Each of you has skills that border the extraordinary, but what happens when they ask for proof? When they ask to see the impossible? You need someone who can give them the very proof that they desire," Ben frowned at seeing her incredulous look, "I'm not being cocky, I'm just stating the facts. With my aliens, I can manipulate the very ground we stand on, summon plants, breathe fire...the list goes on. Can you say for certain that I wouldn't be the best choice to play a god?"

Sam closed her eyes, a small sigh escaping her mouth, as Ben poured himself a cup of fresh coffee, "Point taken, though I can't imagine Jack being too happy about that." Opening her eyes, she looked at Ben, "I'll talk to the General and see what he thinks about it. If he agrees, we can probably make some sort of plan to implement your idea."

Ben nodded, "Ok then. You go on ahead and do that. I'm going to stay here and drink my coffee. At least then I can pretend that I'm not tired." He proved his point be taking a sip of his steaming hot coffee.

"...You know you got to come with me, right?" Sam asked with a curious look on her face, "To the mission briefing I mean. You're a member of SG-1 now. That means you got to come to the meetings, and yes, I do know you don't like them." Seeing the annoyed look on his face, Sam rolled her eyes, "Don't be a baby. The sooner you go, the sooner it'll be done. "

Ben groaned into his cup, "Fine." He glared at Sam, his hands covering his cup protectively, "But I'm taking this with me."

He didn't bother waiting for her response as he walked out of the cafeteria. He already knew what he had to do. Thanks to his experience in dodging hostile aliens, he was able to get to the briefing room without spilling a drop of his coffee.

Walking in, he noticed that he was the first one there, not including the General. He bowed his head in respect, his hands busy cradling the mug in his hand, "I guess I'm early then?"

Hammond nodded, "Yes, five minutes early to be exact." He rested the pen in his hand on the table, "I'm curious as to why that is." He gestured for Ben to take a seat.

"You can thank Sam for that." He replied with a small grin as he took a seat at the table, "She pointed out that the sooner I was here, the sooner it would be done." He paused to take a sip of his coffee, "Her logic was sound, which isn't that surprising considering I read her file. You've got some truly brilliant minds here, General."

"Thank you," Hammond accepted the compliment with a smile. He paused when he saw the rest of SG-1 enter the room, "I'm glad to see you here, all on time at that." He gave a pointed look to Jack.

"What? I can be on time!" Jack defended himself, his face marred by the sudden pout that formed on it.

Daniel snorted, "Yeah, then Tea'lc isn't a Jaffa." He ignored the glare that Jack sent him as he glanced at said Jaffa, "No offense meant to you."

Teal'c bowed his head in acknowledgment, his eyes closed in contemplation, "None is taken. I too am surprised by Jack's punctuality."

Jack raised his hands into the air, the exasperation he felt was evident, "Traitors...all of you are traitors."

Hammond watched the scene with a fond smile, his eyes gazing at the members of SG1. It was times like this, small and fleeting, that he enjoyed being in command of the SGC. It made him proud to have such fine people under his command.

The general coughed so as to bring back everyone's attention to him, "While I am glad to see you guys bonding, now is not the best time for that. We have a mission briefing to complete," He looked at Sam and gestured for her to start her presentation.

Carter nodded as she stood up next to the projector, her hands filled with all sorts of files, "The planet we are heading towards has been cataloged as P3X-8596. Our initial scans of the planet indicate that it has a breathable atmosphere, though, there is something unusual about it." She pulled out five copies of a page and handed them out.

Ben frowned as he took one of the papers from Sam, "Thanks."

Sam nodded, "It's no problem." Seeing that everyone had a copy, she continued where she left off, "Unlike our own air, there are small metal particles in this planet's air, floating about. As we don't know what they are, we can't be too certain about the effect it will have on our health."

Ben nodded as he read the report, his eyes scanning the picture attached to the copy. While they were small, he was able to make out the mentioned metal particles.

"So?" Jack asked, not really understanding the problem, "Why not just wear a hazmat suit? That should be enough to keep out the pesky metal dots."

"That's what we're thinking as well." Sam nodded in agreement, surprised that her CO actually made a sensible suggestion. "Until we are certain that it will not affect us, we will have to stay in those suits."

Ben frowned as he heard that, "No...I don't think that will help." He paused seeing the strange look on everyone's faces, "Take a closer look at the picture. Doesn't that kind of look like a nanite?"

Sam shook her head in the negative, "We thought the same thing, but they haven't shown any signs of actually being machines. For one thing, they don't give off any energy readings."

Ben tilted his head in thought. That was a very good point, but there was a possible explanation for that as well, "They could just be dormant, or they might need a signal to activate." He rubbed his chin in thought as he looked back at the paper, "I could probably make something that can activate them, that is, if they _are_ machines."

Hammond pursed his lips in thought, before gazing back at Ben, "What happens if they turn out to be machines?"

Ben actually looked hesitant to answer, "Honestly...I'm not certain. They can be programmed to do anything, and from my experience, that does mean _anything_." He looked at Hammond with a frown, "But it's better we find out what they do now, then have to learn the hard way."

The General nodded, "Very well." He looked at Carter, "Captain, I want you and Ben to find out what those metal particles are and, if they are nanites, how to shut them down." Seeing them nod, he continued, "Does anyone have anything else to add?"

Sam coughed, "Actually, there is something that Ben has brought to my attention." She pulled out another picture and handed it to Hammond, "We won't know until we go through, but it appears that the gate is either in a temple or a tomb."

Hammond nodded, he had already gotten a report on that, "I know that already, so please get to the point, Captain."

"Right," Sam nodded, a small flush of embarrassment evident on her face, "If the gate is inside a temple, then that means that the people view it as being sacred, something that the gods themselves use. That's a problem for us, as we are not deities. If people see us coming through it, they will assume that we have a divine nature."

"How is that a problem?" Jack asked, "I mean that should be to our benefit. If they think we are their gods, then that means we can get information easily out of them."

Ben rolled his eyes, "The problem is when they ask for proof, Jack. None of us, as humans, are capable of doing anything remotely divine." He paused to look at the General, "I don't mean any offense, but we are a fragile race. One well placed punch and you'll be out for the count."

Daniel nodded, while it was brutal, it was honest, "I agree with Ben. Pretending to be a god can only spell out trouble for us in the future. Might I add that we have no way of recreating the abilities that some gods are known for-"

"That's actually not true." Sam interrupted Daniel all of a sudden, "Ben's aliens actually allow him to manipulate certain aspects of the world, a good example being Swampfire. He could manipulate both plant life and fire on such a level that one would think that it _was_ a god doing it."

Hammond raised an eyebrow, curious as to what Sam was getting at, "What are you suggesting?"

Sam took a seat and looked at the General, her eyes locked onto his, "We use Ben's skills to our benefit. When people ask who we are, we say that he is a god, a mighty one even, that is there to free them. If they ask for proof or even laugh, we can have Ben use his powers to silence those doubts. That way, we can go about our business without having to worry about interference from the locals."

Getting up from his seat, the General locked eyes with Ben before gazing back at Sam, "Give me some time to think about it. In the meantime, you know what you have to do. Dismissed!"

SG-1 watched as Hammond retreated to his office, a conflicted look on his face. They all shared a look before going about their own business.

* * *

Ben frowned; his green eyes locked on the small petri dish in front of him as he waited in Sam's lab. The good captain was standing next to him, looking through a microscope and making small notes on a piece of paper that was beside her.

Coughing, Ben drew Sam's attention away from the microscope, "So, how do you wanna go about testing the particles?"

"I was thinking about using small surges of electricity to try and activate them," Sam answered with a shrug of her shoulders, "If that doesn't work, then try and find the frequency that they work at and then try and turn them on."

She laughed when she saw Ben's frown turn into a smile, "Looks like someone's excited."

The human from another dimension rolled his eyes, "We both know that you're just as excited, hell, maybe even more so than me."

"Maybe," Sam admitted with a small smile, before an inquisitive frown appeared on her face, "You wouldn't happen to have an alien that can manipulate electricity, would you?" Despite being worded as a question, the both of them knew that it was anything but.

Taking that as his cue, he activated the Omnitrix, "I would suggest you close your eyes, but something tells me that you know that already," He pressed down the popped up core, " **BRAINSTORM!** "

* * *

 _ **Omnitrix Database - Brainstorm - Cerebrocrustacean**_

* * *

 _Cerebrocrustaceans are a crab-like species from the Encephalonus system._

 _Cerebrocrustaceans have large brains, giving them high intelligence._

 _Cerebrocrustaceans can solve difficult calculations mentally in a few seconds. They know complex angular physics, can visualize equations, and movement of objects as if they're actually there._

 _Cerebrocrustaceans can produce and manipulate electricity, in forms that can be put to various uses, including launching electricity, creating protective coatings, creating force fields, by opening the exoskeleton plates on their skull or using their pincers._

 _Cerebrocrustaceans can use their electrokinesis to telekinetically move objects and they're also capable EM wave readers enabling telereceiving._

 _Cerebrocrustacean can control machinery and similar objects using their electrokinesis, giving them a form of technokinesis._

 _Cerebrocrustaceans do not move their mouths as they project their thoughts as sound waves._

* * *

In Ben's place now stood an orange crab-like alien, with a massive head. His six legs, three on each side, allowed him to reach Sam's chest in height. Brainstorm's mouth formed into a grin, his pincers clicking together rapidly, " _ **Allow me to gaze at these**_ _ **primitive pieces of technology with my own two eyes.**_ "

"Er...ok?" Sam moved to the side so that Brainstorm could use the microscope. She watched as he tried to grasp the scientific tool with his pincers, "Are you ok?"

Brainstorm chuckled, which was strange to Sam considering that he looked like seafood, " _ **If you are inquiring as to my physical health, then you will be satisfied to know that I am physically fit and healthy.**_ "

Sam shook her head in disbelief, "If you say so." She watched as Brainstorm opened the plates covering his brain, revealing the electricity coursing through his brain.

" _ **If these microscopic machines truly need electricity to be activated, then this life form will excel at the job.**_ " Brainstorm focused on the metal particles, the electricity within his brain building up to a point that he started glowing, " _ **Please step to the side, Captain. I do not wish for you to be** **shocked** **by my formidable brain.**_ "

"I get it know," Sam realized as she moved behind Brainstorm, "This alien of yours, Ben, makes you so much smarter than you already are...but at the cost of your humility." Her grin was that of a cat that ate the canary.

" _ **No**_ _,_ " Brainstorm denied, " _ **I am just your intellectual better.**_ " He willed the electricity that he had charged up to go to his pincers, giving them a yellow glow as lightning sparked between them.

Aiming his pincers at the sample, he released the built up lightning at a steady rate. After a few short seconds, he cut off the stream so as not to destroy the particles, " _ **And I'm done.**_ " He slammed the Omnitrix symbol on his waist and reverted back to his original form before looking at Sam, "It's your show now."

"Thanks," Sam muttered as she went to the microscope. The microscopic particles looked different now, almost like they were alive, "Looks like you were right, they do appear to be nanites." Sam raised her head to look at her co-worker, "I'm curious...how did you know they were nanites? I mean it seems kind of like a long shot when you consider all the facts."

"Let's just say that I've had bad experiences with them in my own universe. They're such a major part of life on planets there, including my own Earth, that I've come to expect anything small and metal to be nanites." He shook his head ruefully before pointing at the sample, "Are they doing anything?"

"No...they're just kind of sitting there and occasionally hitting each other." Sam stated as she looked through the microscope, "Wait...I think I see something," She turned the dial on the side of the scientific apparatus, "There appear to be small traces of lightning traveling between them."

Ben's eyes widened, "NO! NO! NO!" He rushed to Sam's side and gently pulled the scientific apparatus away from her, as he didn't want to be rude, "Let me see that, please?"

As he looked through the microscope he could see the nanites increasing in speed, constantly hitting each other, with lightning surging between them. He pulled away from the microscope with a sigh, "I was afraid of this." He looked at Sam with a grim look on his face, "It looks like these nanites are transferring knowledge between themselves; adapting to the new circumstances that they have found themselves in." He looked at Sam, "I don't know what you want to do, but you are my superior and as such, I leave the decision to you."

Sam frowned, "Ok...what do you suggest then?" She was curious as to what he thought, mostly because he knew more about nanites than she did.

"Honestly? I don't know." Ben admitted with a frown on his face, "All they're doing is transferring knowledge, and that itself isn't a crime. What matters is their base programming." He looked so frustrated that his face was starting to turn red, "And since they are too small to do any actual tests..."

Realization dawned on Sam's face, "We won't know what their end goal is." She glanced to Ben, "I'll need to inform Hammond before we can take any immediate action."

"Go," Ben nodded, "I'll stay here and keep an eye on them." He watched as she left the room in a hurry, her white lab coat fluttering behind her.

* * *

"Sir!" Sam announced urgently as she entered the General's office, "We've managed to turn on the nanites, but they seem to be transferring knowledge between themselves."

Hammond looked up from the paperwork in front of him, his eyes haggard from all the papers he had to sign off on, "Ok...do you know why they're doing that?"

Sam shook her head in the negative, "No, Sir. Since we have no way to test them, considering their size and such, we are in the dark as to what their actual purpose is." She paused as she took a seat, "What do you want us to do with them? If we could learn how they work, then we could possibly have a major advantage against the Goa'uld."

"Yes, I've been thinking along the same line." He looked troubled, "I want you to take those samples back to the planet and see what you can learn. If they are a threat to this base, I want to be the first to know." Hammond gestured for her to leave, "Dismissed, Captain."

* * *

Seeing Sam return, Ben smiled, "So...what did Hammond say?" He was curious, mostly because he didn't like the idea of having such small machines around him...they had a habit of getting into his body and doing weird shit to his organs.

"We're to go to the planet and find out whatever we can about the nanites," Sam reported as she removed the sample from under the microscope, "The general wants to know if they are dangerous."

"Got ya," Ben nodded as he got off the stool he was sitting on, "Do you need me for anything else, or should I go and get changed?"

Sam shook her head, waving Ben off, "Go on ahead. I can take care of this myself."

Ben nodded before leaving the room, his hands in his pockets. He grinned when he saw people rush past him, going on about their daily lives and doing their best to play their part in the daily workings of the SGC. It reminded him a lot of the Plumber Headquarters, only without all the aliens walking about. It wasn't long before he saw Teal'c and Jack approach him, frowns on their faces.

"Yo," Ben greeted the older men with a small wave, "Is there a problem, gentlemen?" He could tell that something was bugging them, well mostly Jack, Teal'c was like a stone when it came to expressions.

Jack did a so-so gesture with his left hand, "Not really. We're just looking for Daniel. He should be getting ready now, but apparently, he's still in his office." The irritation he felt was evident, "He's always doing this, hell even Carter isn't as bad as him."

"Well good luck with that," He patted Jack on the shoulder as he passed him, "I'm going to go and change into my uniform. You know where to find me if you need my assistance."

Teal'c nodded his head in thanks, "Indeed." He followed Jack to Daniel's office, not paying the younger man any more attention.

Ben shook his head in amusement as he walked in the opposite direction, towards the changing rooms.

After changing into his standard mission garbs, Ben found himself waiting at the bottom of the ramp leading to the Stargate. His green eyes were locked onto the Stargate, watching as it turned, "You know...there is nothing quite like this back home." He grinned at Daniel, his hands crossed behind his head, "I mean we have teleporters and even a Hyperspace Jump Gate, but this is something else."

"A Hyper-wha now?" Jack asked with a dumb look on his face, his eyes conveying the confusion he felt.

Ben pointed to the Stargate, "It's like the Stargate, only much bigger. Oh, and it works both ways." He paused to look at Sam, "I'm still curious as to how you guys got the air sample here, considering that a wormhole only goes one way."

"Actually...we had someone bring back the MALP once we were certain that there was a working DHD there." Jack answered Ben's question with a cough of embarrassment, "Don't give me that look. Those MALPS happen to cost thousands of dollars. If we can retrieve one, we will."

Ben shook his head in amusement, "If you say so. Next time, though, just have me go. At least I have a higher chance of coming back alive," He raised his Omnitrix in emphasis of his point, "I would hate to see others die when I could have done the same job with a higher chance of success."

"Arrogance is the downfall of many warriors," Teal'c replied with a stoic face.

"Maybe...but what I have isn't arrogance, it's confidence." Ben retorted with a grin on his face, "I know that if I'm not careful, I will die. I've learned what my limitations are, Teal'c, and I do everything I can to avoid straining them. So trust me. That's all I ask for: a little faith."

"Very well." Teal'c inclined his head towards Ben, "For now, though, we must focus on the mission at hand."

The entire team watched as the final chevron was locked in, the familiar blue substance forming within the alien ring.

" **You have a go, SG-1. God speed.** " Hammond announced from the observation deck above them.

Ben gave the general a two fingered salute before he walked through the gate, the rest of the team right behind him.

* * *

 **Planet - P3X-8596 - Planet Argos**

* * *

As he walked out of the artificial event horizon, Ben squinted his eyes to readjust himself to the faint lighting of the temple/tomb that he was in, "This is the place." He looked to Daniel, "So...is this a temple or a tomb?"

Daniel frowned as he looked at the artistry, "I don't know. But if I had to make a guess...I would assume a temple." He pointed towards the statue, "No one really puts one of those in a tomb, well unless they're an Egyptian." He shrugged sheepishly, "I'm not really an expert on Greek art. If this was Egyptian, then I would have been able to help." He shook his head in amusement, "Looks like I'll need to do some more research into the Greeks."

"Well, what do you know?" Jack asked with exasperation, honestly, he wondered about Daniel's usefulness at times.

"It's early Greek?" Daniel replied with an embarrassed cough, "I don't know...it feels like we stepped into the citadel at Mycenae." He looked at the statue in the middle of the room, "I'm not certain, though, about the marble statue. It's not a god form that I recognize."

Jack blinked, "I thought you said it was Greek?"

"Mycenae is a city in Greece," Daniel answered with a sigh. He didn't even need to look at Jack to know that he wasn't following half of what he had said.

Ben snickered as he held a hand over his mouth. It wouldn't do well for him to be seen laughing at his boss. He paused when his ears picked up the sound of someone panting, "Did you guys hear that?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded as she looked around for the source of the noise. She held her gun close to herself, ready to fire at anything hostile. She blinked when her eyes came into contact with a pair of scared black eyes, "Did you see that?"

"AUGH!" A loud, feminine scream sounded throughout the room.

Ben was the first one to respond. It wasn't in his nature to let someone go on suffering, as he raced to the source of the scream. His eyes widened when he saw a young woman lying on the floor, a man kneeling in front of her, "What's going on!?"

"Pl- please," The man's face was pale and his hands were shaking, "Help us. My wife...she is giving birth and I do not know the birthing mysteries." He looked to Ben with a pleading look as he held his wife's hand, "The nearest village is too far away and the midwife is gone."

Jack looked away from the woman and to Carter, an unspoken message going between them.

Sam frowned at him, "Don't look at me! I don't know what to do." She turned away from her CO, partially insulted that he thought she knew what to do. Just because she was a woman didn't mean she automatically knew how to do this stuff. A snort escaped her nose; the nerve of some people.

Her eyes widened when she saw both Ben and Daniel get on their knees; Daniel next to the woman and Ben in front of her.

"What's your name?" Ben asked as he removed his ballistic vest, his eyes locked onto the woman. He rolled up his sleeves while the woman tried to breathe through the pain.

"Thetys...my lord." The woman replied, her hands red from clutching the sides of her dress, "Please...help me. The pain...it is too much." A scream tore its way through her throat as she felt the young life within her try to come out.

Ben smiled at her so as to calm her anxiousness, "I'll do my best." He looked to Daniel, "I need you to hold her hand. Whatever happens, do not let go." He then glanced at Sam, "I need you at her side as well."

He looked to both Jack and Tea'lc, before glancing back to the man "Can you follow my teammates to another part of the temple? I need absolute concentration for this."

The man nodded as he got off the floor, concern for his wife evident on his face, before following Jack and Tea'lc into another room.

Jack watched as the man, who he now knew went by the name of Alekos, kept on pacing about the temple, out of sight of his wife, "You're going to burn a hole into the ground if you keep on pacing around like that."

Alekos didn't stop. In fact, it appeared that he had increased his pacing. Jack sighed as he looked at Teal'c, "Do I have one of those faces, T? I mean, does it look like I enjoy being ignored? Because if so, I would like to know so that I can get it changed."

"He is merely a concerned husband." Teal'c replied with his usual stoic voice, "I do not begrudge him for it."

Jack snorted at the comment, "Could have fooled me." The comment was meant to be sarcastic, but apparently, Teal'c did not get the memo.

"On the contrary, Colonel O'Neill. I am merely stating a fact," He didn't pay any mind to the look that Jack sent him. Humans were strange like that.

* * *

"Where did you learn to do this?" Sam asked with a wince, as Thetys's grip was painfully strong, "If you don't mind me asking that is." She watched as Ben coached Thetys through the process of childbirth. So many questions were building up in her mind, reminding her of the fact that she didn't know a lot about her newest teammate, as she watched him strain to keep the woman calm. She glanced to Daniel and almost burst out laughing when she saw him try not to scream.

Ben frowned as he kept an eye on Thetys's swollen vagina, looking for the signs of a newborn baby about to come out, "Let's just say that some of my aliens happen to be asexual mammals." He looked away from Sam so as to focus on the very pregnant woman in front of him, "Thetys, when I say push, I want you to push." He smiled when he saw her nod weakly, "I promise you, you will get through this."

"I know I'm gonna regret this," Daniel started as he clenched his teeth shut, "But how many times have you done this?" He refused to look at his hand, focusing solely on Thetys's face.

Ben shook his head; he didn't have time for this, "Five times, not including this." He glanced to Thetys and smiled, "Push now!"

"Oh wow, that's actually four times more than me," Daniel muttered to himself, surprised that the slightly younger man had more experience than him in such a delicate matter. He shook his head; this was not the time to be surprised, as he focused his attention back on the pregnant woman.

Sam's own eyes widened when she felt her hand being crushed, a pained yell passing through Thetys's mouth.

* * *

Jack winced when he heard a yell come from across the room, "Sounds like they're getting down to the dirty business." He frowned when he saw Alekos get off the floor, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's all part of the procedure." He gestured for him to sit back down.

Alekos hesitated, his very instincts telling him that he needed to be by his wife's side. He shook his head, "How can you expect me to sit here when my son is about to be born into this very world!" He shook his head; it was unthinkable to do such a thing.

"We are not asking you to do anything of the sort," Teal'c shook his head in the negative, "Just allow my teammates to do their job in peace." He smiled at the obviously worried man, "They will do everything in their power to make sure the baby is born safely and with no complications."

With a sigh, Alekos plopped himself back on the floor, his excitement leaving him. He looked to Jack, his frustration evident, "Is it so wrong for me to be worried?" He clenched his hands tightly, "To be there when my son is born?"

"No," Jack replied without hesitation, "It's one of man's greatest pleasures, one that should never be taken away." He paused as he rested his hand on the younger man's shoulder, "But sometimes we cannot help the circumstances of their birth." He smiled at Alekos, "All you can do is stand to the side and pray to whatever god you worship that everything works out in the end."

Alekos nodded, although he wasn't completely in agreement with Jack's statement, "I understand. I just wish that I could do something to actually help her." He shook his head with a mirthless chuckle, before looking both at both Teal'c and Jack, "I want to thank you for helping us. I fear what may have happened if you had not shown up."

Jack opened his mouth to respond but snorted when he saw Daniel approach, "So? What happened?"

"It's a boy," Daniel replied with a small smile, using a small rag that he had carried with himself to clean his hands, "Ben and Sam are both with Thetys making certain that the baby is healthy." He turned towards Alekos, "You can go and see her if you want."

All three men smiled as Alekos rushed to be with his wife, although Teal'c's smile was nothing more than a slightly quirked lip. They followed behind the man, standing a good five feet behind him so that they could talk without being heard.

"So what happened?" Jack asked as he watched the new parents fawn over the bundle of joy that had just arrived in their lives. From what he could tell, which wasn't much, it appeared that the baby boy was wrapped in some sort of black material.

Daniel shook his head in amusement. Jack was going to love this, "Oh nothing much, except for the fact we had nothing to wrap the baby with." He watched with a smirk as Jack looked at him and then at the baby, the process going for a solid ten seconds.

"Er...then what is that?" Jack asked with a dumb look on his face as pointed to the black material wrapped around the baby, "Cause it looks like you found something to use."

Daniel opened his mouth to respond but closed it when he saw both Sam and Ben approach, the latter missing a shirt. He snickered at the dumbfounded look on Jack's face, "Yeah...Ben offered his shirt to Thetys of his own free will."

Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "I'm not even going to ask what made you do that Ben, but please tell me that you at least still have your jacket to cover yourself with!"

Ben nodded with a faint grin on his face, "Yeah. It's in the backpack I came with. I'll go get it." He gave a mock salute to Jack before walking to where he had last rested the bag.

As that was going on, Sam glanced to her superior with a faint blush on her face, "Sorry, Sir. I tried to stop him, but he insisted that the baby be cleaned and kept warm." She paused when she saw Jack raise his hand, "Sir?"

"I don't blame you, Carter." Jack stated with a small sigh as he watched Ben from afar, "I haven't known Ben for long, but from what I have learned, I can already tell that he is a headstrong man." He shook his head in exasperation, "Hell, I doubt even I could have gotten him to keep his shirt on. So don't go beating yourself up." All of a sudden a grin sprouted on his face, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "Besides...it could have been worse. He could have chosen to use his pants instead."

Sam's face burned red in embarrassment, "Sir!" She couldn't believe that her superior would make a joke like that. She clamped her mouth shut when she saw Ben approach, though she glared at Jack, daring him to open his mouth.

Ben blinked, his body now covered by the jacket that came with his uniform, "What did I miss?"

"Nothing of any importance." Jack answered with a small grin as he patted Ben on the back, "You did a good thing, giving your shirt and all that. Next time, though, if you can, give us a bit of warning. Nearly gave poor Carter a heart attack." He winced all of a sudden when Sam jabbed him in the stomach, the action unseen by Ben.

Daniel chuckled when Ben tilted his head in confusion, "Don't worry about it. Jack's just being a jerk, as usual."

"Ah," That made sense to Ben. His green eyes widened in slight happiness when he saw both Thetys and Alekos approach them, the baby held safely in its mother's grasp, "Everything ok?"

Alekos nodded as he smiled at his baby boy, "Yes, and it is all thanks to you." He kissed the top of his child's head and watched as it simply squirmed in its impromptu blanket, "I wish, with your permission, to name the child after you."

Ben's surprise was evident, and the barest hint of misery could be seen, "I'm sorry, but that's not a good idea." He shook his head as he stepped back, "I'm not the person you think I am." He put his hands on both Daniel's and Sam's shoulders, "If you should thank someone, thank them."

" _Pathetic. Will you never learn?! You are not to blame for what happened._ " The voice growled within Ben's head, like a savage beast that lurked in the darkest of corners. It scoffed, " _And I thought losing your family was going to be a problem._ " Pain surged throughout his mind as The Voice roared in anger, " _ **GET OVER IT!**_ "

* * *

Teal'c watched with a stoic expression as Ben argued against the young human child being named after him. It...confused him. Was it not a great honor to have a child named after you?

He paused as his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of liquid dripping to the floor. That was oddly strange as he knew that there were no major sources of water that could cause, as the Tau'ri put it, leaking. He closed his eyes as he focused on locating the source of said leak.

His black eyes snapped open as he focused on Ben, to be exact, the blood dripping from his nose. It was small, too small to be seen by the eyes of the Tau'ri, but large enough that a well trained Jaffa could spot it.

"...Benjamin," Teal'c announced as he watched the young man wince, "Are you in need of assistance?" He could tell that the younger man was in pain, no matter how well he hid it.

Ben smiled at him, although it was a bit strained, "I'm fine, Teal'c." He tapped the side of his head as if to emphasize his point, "Just the air pressure." He turned back to the natives of the planet with a small sigh.

The Jaffa's eyes narrowed, he did not believe Ben.

* * *

"Dan-el...that will be his first name," Alekos smiled at the team, his eyes lingering on Ben for a few short milliseconds, before finally landing on Sam, "And his middle name shall be Samuel." He smiled as he gently took the baby, Dan-el, from his wife, "After the ones that have birthed him."

Thetys smiled as she started leading the group out of the temple, "Come, we wish to show you the hospitality of our village." If Ben would not allow the child to be named after him, then they would show him, and his team, the highest of honors, "We will not take no for an answer." She silently prayed to Pelops that he would not decline the offer.

"Guys?" Jack asked as he looked at the team, it was his choice but he wanted the team's opinion first, "What do you think?"

Daniel was the first to respond, which didn't surprise anyone, "I say we go. It'll give us more time to learn about their culture." The excitement was evident in his eyes, that and he was bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Jack rolled his eyes; of course he would say that, "Anyone else?" He sighed when Teal'c only shrugged his shoulders, "You really got to speak up more Teal'c. It's unbecoming of a man as big and strong as you."

"Apologies, Colonel O'Neill." Teal'c replied as he bowed his head in apology, "It is not my intention to paint myself in a misleading manner."

Ben rolled his eyes as he glanced at Jack, his hands still clenched tightly from before, "I don't really care. It's your choice in the end." He crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall of the hallway leading out of the temple.

Sam, who was now standing next to Teal'c, frowned at Ben before turning to Jack, "Same here...Sir."

"Guess that settles it then." Jack announced as he clapped his hands together. He turned to Thetys with a grin, "We graciously accept your offer of hospitality."

* * *

As Jack, Daniel, and Tea'lc followed the native couple, Sam lagged behind with Ben. She was worried about her team mate, that and they needed to find out more about the nanites, "You ok?"

Ben smiled at her, slightly touched by her concern, "I'm fine, Sam. Like I told Teal'c, it's just the air pressure." He flashed her a grin while also giving her a thumbs up, "I'll be good to go in a few minutes but still, thanks for asking."

"If you say so," Sam looked to where her CO was talking, more like joking, with Daniel, "I'm going to start taking more samples soon so I'd appreciate any help you can offer." She smiled when she saw Ben nod, his help would be invaluable.

It wasn't long before they found themselves in the middle of a village, the sun shining brightly above them. The whole scene was like something out of a dream; a very good one at that.

"It's beautiful," Sam muttered softly as the group approached a fountain that was located in the middle of the village, "The people who live here have their own paradise."

Ben shrugged, "If you say so. I personally give it a four on the awesome scale. I mean I've been to a planet where the ground is made out of diamonds and the sky is red." He paused when he saw Sam frown at him, the envy evident on her face, "This is still nice, though. Nothing quite like it back where I come from." He hastily said, as he didn't want to upset her.

"I'm jealous now," Sam replied as she bit the bottom of her lip. Why did all the cool stuff have to be in another universe/dimension?

Ben laughed lightly, "Don't worry about it. This universe still has its secrets, some that may even beat the wonders of my own." He grinned when he saw her nod, her envy disappearing as determination blossomed on her face, "If anyone can unlock those secrets, it's you."

He paused when he saw the group, slightly ahead of him, sit on the sides of the fountain. He found a spot next to Jack and sat down, "So...what do you guys think of this place?"

Daniel grinned, "It's beautiful...everyone here seems so young and healthy." He smiled as people started approaching them, most smiling and waving at them with joy, "Kind of like a paradise."

Jack snorted, "Yeah, why not. Just give me an apple to eat while you're at it and I'll be satisfied." Something about the people didn't sit well with him. Maybe it was that they were just too beautiful. He shook his head, "It's like they haven't heard of the word ugly."

"Agreed," Teal'c nodded, "They appear to be as healthy as Jaffas." It was honestly strange seeing people that were just as fit as him and not fighting. He even saw some young children playing with each other and just enjoying themselves.

The group, as a whole, watched as Alekos showed the villagers his newborn baby, his pride being evident to everyone.

As the leader of SG-1 watched the scene with a small smile, he noticed a young woman standing next to Thetys tickle Dan-el. He felt his throat go dry. She was beautiful...hauntingly so. He blushed when he saw her wink at him. What a minx!

"I...I think I need some water." Jack stated as he started tugging at the neck of his shirt.

Daniel patted him on the back, his eyes following Jack's gaze, "I'm pretty certain that water is nowhere near close to what you actually want." He paused as a grin appeared on his face, "Can't say I blame you, though."

The group paused when they say the woman approach them, a covered dish in her hands. She smiled at Jack, "Welcome to our village. My name is Kynthia." She bowed her head with a small smile, "Might I have your name?"

Jack smiled as he took off his hat, "Jack O'Neill. Thank you." His heart started beating faster when Kynthia's smile widened. Why!? Why did she have to be so hot!? At this rate, Jack just knew he was going to have a heart attack.

Kynthia's smile turned coy as she removed the cover from the dish in her hands. "Please, try it."

Jack did so, taking one of the biscuits from the platter. His eyes widened as he bit into it. It was delicious. He looked to Daniel with a grin, "You need to try this." He took another bite and swallowed, "This is amazingly good."

"First of all, amazingly good isn't proper grammar," Daniel started with a halfhearted glare, "And second, I think it's meant for just you," To prove his point, Kynthia nodded her head, "See?"

Sam laughed softly, "Face it sir, you've got a fan." She watched from Ben's side as Kynthia walked away from them and to what appeared to be her friends, giggling like a love-struck girl.

"I believe she wants to mate with you, Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c stated as he glanced at Jack. He titled his head when Jack started coughing, the crumbs of the biscuit being spit out as he tried to regain his breath.

Ben released a healthy laugh at seeing the shocked look on Jack's face, "You...you should have seen the look on your face." He wiped a stray tear from his eyes as he calmed down from the sudden bout of laughter.

"Something funny?" Jack asked with a twitching eyebrow. He wasn't against the idea of pushing Ben into the well. In fact, it was a rather enticing idea.

Ben waved Jack's question of, "No. I'm sorry for laughing. It's just that I haven't had a reason to laugh that hard in such a long time." He paused as fond memories resurfaced within his mind, memories that had been buried under much darker ones.

Jack paused as he lowered the hand that he was going to use to slap Ben. He couldn't after hearing Ben's explanation. Why did he have to be such a good guy?

He shook his head as he pat Ben on the shoulder, "Well, hopefully you'll get more reasons to laugh after this. You're part of SG-1 now; that means you've just been adopted into our highly dysfunctional family."

Ben smiled, that sounded nice, "So does that mean I can expect an allowance from you, _Dad_?" He grinned at the affronted look that Jack adopted.

"I will have you know that I am still quite young, and nowhere near old enough to be _your_ father." Jack stuck his tongue out at Ben. Before he could say anything else, he found himself being dragged away by two young women.

"Sir!?" Sam asked as she stood up, concern visible on her face. Before she could try to reach out to her superior, a few young men and women pushed her back with small smiles.

"It is ok." A young blond man with blue eyes smiled at her, "Kynthia merely wishes to get to know your friend better." He took a seat beside her as more people surrounded the group with food, "Enjoy yourselves and relax. Your friend shall not be harmed, dare I say, he shall leave feeling better than he ever has."

Ben smiled at her, "He's a big boy Sam. I'm certain he can hold himself against a single woman," He paused as another though hit his head, "Well...actually that might not be true. If she decides to use her womanly willies...yes I dare say that Jack will be screwed."

Sam didn't even bother looking at Ben as she shoved him'; what was it with men making such stupid remarks?

She, along with the rest of SG-1, paused what they were doing when they heard percussion instruments suddenly being played.

Kynthia came out wearing a robe of light weight material, her hands grasping the sides so as to give her the image of an angel with wings. There were woman behind her holding up the edges of the robe so that it did not get sullied.

"Ok?" Ben blinked at the strange scene, "I really have a bad inkling as to where this is going." He watched as Kynthia did some intricate dance moves, Jack's eyes never leaving her body. Once she was done with her dance, she took Jack by the hands and led him into the building next to the bench.

They took that as their cue to stop whatever was about to happen. Before they could do anything, though, they saw Alekos approach them with glasses in his hands, "Unto every man the creator gives one hundred blissful days. It is a sin not to celebrate each and every one." He handed both Sam and Ben two glasses, a coy smirk on his face.

Sam scrutinized the glass in her hand, a part of her mind curious as to what material was used to make the fine looking utensil.

"A one hundred day celebration?" Daniel raised an eyebrow at that tidbit of information, "Best brace ourselves then, cause that is going to take quite the while."

Ben snorted as he took a sip of the drink he was offered, "You can say that again."

* * *

"Sir?" Sam asked as she stared at her half-naked superior officer, a gob-smacked expression on her face. She could tell that everyone was confused, Jack as well.

"Uh...what happened?" Jack asked as he stared at his teammates, everything was so blurry. He had wrapped a bedsheet around his lower extremities so as to protect his modesty. He winced as he looked at Sam's face; he could tell that she wasn't amused.

Ben frowned as he looked around the room. He could see almost a hundred people lying on the floor, "Something is going on here...we just don't know what." He paused as he saw Jack move to the bed, "You ok?"

"I'm fine," Jack stated with a scowl. He wasn't in the mood for being criticized, "I want to know what happened here." He glanced at the sleeping form of Kynthia, his scowl turning into a frown.

Sam shook her head. She didn't even know what to think about the whole situation, "I've heard of parties ending abruptly...but this is something completely different." She blinked when she saw both Daniel and Ben standing over someone.

Walking over to them, she realized that they were looking at Thetys.

"It's like she's having a nightmare," Ben muttered softly as he gazed at the new mother. He got on his knees and gently put his hand to her head. After waiting a few seconds, he removed his hand with a small sigh, "All signs indicate that she is in a deep state of sleep. Her breath is shallow and her internal temperature isn't anything too dangerous."

Jack highly doubted that, "So what, you're saying that they all decided to fall asleep at the same time?" He snorted as Daniel handed him a goblet filled with some strange drink.

Sam frowned at him, "What about you? How are you feeling?" A part of her was worried that Jack had contracted whatever the natives had.

"Like I told Ben, I am absolutely fine!" He shook his head in exasperation, "Let's just focus on the important matter and figure out if there is anything we can do to help these people."

Sam paused as she saw Jack's face, the emotions held within his eyes was kind of unnerving, "Ok then," She nodded her head as she turned towards Daniel, "What are the chances that it might be something in the food?"

"That might be the case...except we all ate the same thing as them," Daniel replied with a frown as he stroked his chin, "So why aren't we all on the floor?"

Ben chimed in as a thought hit him, "Well what if it has something to do with the nanites we found? I mean they could be responsible for this mass sleep attack, right?"

"That is possible," Sam admitted as she mulled it over in her head, "And the food could have been the catalyst to transfer it into everyone's body."

"But that still doesn't explain why we aren't on the floor and they are. We all ate the same thing, didn't we?" Daniel asked with a frown as he tried to connect all the dots. There was something missing, he just didn't know what.

"Except for the cake," Sam noted, her eyes closed in thought.

Daniel's eyes widened, "Which was only for him." Oh, this was bad, and it would seem that Jack realized it as well.

Jack scowled as he clenched his hands tightly, his eyes locked on Kynthia, "She drugged me." A part of him felt betrayed by the realization, "She drugged me...she drugged me!" He growled as he stood up, his left hand still holding the sheet to cover his privates.

He started to make his way towards the bed, ready to get some answers. Halfway there he suddenly felt the world spin, forcing him to his knees. It was only thanks to Sam's quick reaction speed that his head did not meet the hard floor, instead landing into her lap.

"From now on...we stick to rations," Jack groaned as he fought to try and stay awake. It was not enough, though, as his head fell to the side.

A sigh escaped the captain's mouth as she felt for Jack's heartbeat, "He's all right. Just asleep like everyone else." With a slight grunt, she removed his head from her lap and gently rested it on the floor.

Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration as he took off his glasses, "Just what the hell is going on?"

"That's exactly what I plan on finding out," Sam answered, her eyes set in determination.

* * *

 **The Next Day - Argos**

* * *

Jack groaned as he stepped into the cool outdoors, his body wracked with a headache. Everything was so blurry and his memory not quite what it was supposed to be, not unlike that of a hangover. There wasn't much that he remembered, but what he did know was that Kynthia had drugged him. That had stuck with him through the night.

He shook his head. Now was not the time for such musings. He could see Sam taking notes on a pad that she had carried in her backpack. Said pack was resting to her side, acting like nothing was wrong.

Jack knew the truth, though. He knew what it had done. How thousands had died under its cruel yoke.

Sam, who had just finished taking her notes, blinked when she saw Jack standing to the side, "You ok, sir?" She wasn't certain...but was he glaring at her backpack?

"Maybe a tiny bit hungover but otherwise ok," Jack coughed into his hand, embarrassed that he got staring at her backpack, "What about you? Getting any answers out of the villagers?" He winced as the sun's bright rays beat down upon his head. The hat he wore didn't do much to protect him from the intense heat.

Sam shook her head in the negative as she followed Jack to the well in the middle of the village, "No...it seems that what happened last night was normal for them." She smiled at the incredulous look on Jack's face, "Yeah, Ben was of the same mind. He and I both think that the nanites have something to do with what happened yesterday."

Jack nodded, "Where is Ben anyhow?" He hadn't seen him since he woke back up, "He with Daniel or something?"

"Yeah, the two of them are in the temple trying to figure out if Pelops might have had anything to do with the whole sleep situation." An irritated look passed Sam's face as she crossed her arms. She had wanted Ben's help, yet Daniel chose to steal him away for his own purposes.

Jack said nothing as he ducked his head into the cool water. He kept his head submerged for a few seconds before pulling it out with a sigh, his hair soaking wet, "Ok then. Let me know if they find out anything." He took a seat on the well's edge and put his sunglasses back on, "Carter...do what you do best and continue asking questions. Take Ben if you need him."

Sam shook her head in frustration when she realized that Jack was not going to help. In fact, it appeared that he was going to take a nap of all things.

* * *

Ben frowned as he stood next to Daniel, the latter holding a video camera in his hands, as they looked at the statue in the middle of the temple, "So... I'm assuming that's supposed to be Pelops."

"I think so," Daniel tilted his head in thought, "I'm not certain, but if I remember correctly, Pelops was a son of Tantalus."

A disgusted expression crossed Ben's face, "You mean he's the son of the guy that fed his own children to the gods?" Oh man...that was horrible. He actually felt bad for the guy.

"Basically," Daniel nodded as he looked to Alekos, who was standing to the side, "What can you tell me about Pelops and this temple?"

Alekos smiled at them as he gestured to the statue, "He is the creator, the one who has given us our days." He now turned from the statue and gestured to the temple, "This was his home until he left us and ascended to his divine domain." A proud smile sprouted on his face, "For as long as I can remember, we have looked after the temple in his absence until his return."

"You wouldn't happen to know when that is, would you?" Daniel asked with a hopeful look.

Alekos shook his head in a negative, although there was a smile on his face, "Well that is a mystery, but we do not allow that to distract us. As the Chosen, it is our duty to rejoice and wait for his glorious return."

Teal'c, who had just joined them, blinked, "Why are your people called the Chosen?"

Aleko's smiled as he gestured to a mural behind him, "My ancestors were so beloved by Pelops that he fashioned this garden for us. It is said he chose us and brought us here from beyond the stars."

"From what I understand...that sounds nothing like a Goa'uld." Ben mumbled to Daniel, a little bit freaked out by the obvious adoration that Alekos had for his 'Lord'.

Daniel nodded but chose not to comment. With a smile, he turned to Alekos, "Do you have any writings on your history? Something that I can use to learn about your history?"

The native blinked, "What is 'writings'? I do not know this word."

"Umm..." Daniel looked around trying to find something to help him explain what the word writing actually meant. Finally, after not finding anything truly useful, he pointed to the mural that Alekos had shown them, "Do you have any more of this? Do you know what it is?"

Teal'c frowned, "That is an ancient Goa'uld dialect. One not used anymore." He squinted his eyes as he tried to remember his lessons from when he was a youth, the ones that taught him how to translate such outdated dialects.

Daniel frowned at him, slightly upset that Teal'c had not informed him of the fact, "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"You never asked," Teal'c replied blandly, eliciting a chuckle from Ben.

Ben shook his head in amusement, "You guys are hilarious, you know that?" He smiled as he started to leave the room, "I'm certain you got all of this down, so I'm going to go and look around the rest of the village."

Daniel nodded, though he was a bit miffed by Ben's comment, "Ok, don't get lost."

* * *

Down at the Beach, Sam was taking samples of the water. By doing this, she was hoping to find out more about the nanites that the MALP had brought back. She smiled softly as she noticed children playing by the water, giggling as they ran across the sand.

"Come on! I wanna show you something!" The first child shouted with excitement.

The second child, a young girl, frowned as she tried to keep up with her friend, "I'm coming, you meanie."

Ben, who had been watching the scene from afar, grinned as he approached Sam, "What's up?" He could tell that she had been busy since he had last seen her, which was roughly two hours ago, "Discovered anything new?"

"No...although I doubt that would have been the case if you had been helping me," She smiled at him as she stood up, "What about you? Daniel done dragging you all around the village?"

Her only response was a slight chuckle from Ben, his head shaking in the negative, "I doubt it...but I had to get out of his grasp one way or another." His eyes lit up as he took note of the case on the ground, "You still need any help? Cause now would be the best time to ask for it."

"Not really, at least not in this area. I've already gotten what I need from here." Sam shrugged as her hair blew into her face. With a huff and puff, her hair was once again where it belonged, "I'll probably need your help analyzing the samples, but besides that, there's really nothing that I require your assistance with."

Ben nodded as he looked around the beach, idly noting bird like creatures flying in the sky, "Ok...well I guess I'll get going then." As he was about to move away, both he and Sam spotted Thetys approaching them, a young toddler in her arms.

"Good morning," Thetys smiled at the two visitors, "I just wanted to see if you needed anything."

Sam smiled as she approached the new mother, "No, I think we're fine," She paused as she fished something out of her pocket, a small shell, "I found this earlier, and I was thinking that you could give it to Dan-el." She shook it causing a rattle like sound to be heard, "He could use it as a rattle if he wanted."

"Thank you, but you can do so yourself." Thetys gestured to the toddler in her arms, "This is Dan-el."

Sam shook her head, slightly confused by Thetys's comment, "No...I meant the baby." She blinked when she felt Ben rest a hand on her shoulder.

"I think...you might find that children grow up quite fast," He pointed to a familiar triangle mark on the toddler's arm, one that both he and Sam had seen when Thetys had given birth. He looked to Thetys and smiled at her, "If you have the time, I would love it if you could come with us to talk to Jack. I'm certain that he will find this interesting."

The woman simply nodded, slightly confused as to what the problem was. With a flourish, her dress twirling in the wind, she walked to where she had last seen Jack.

"...That is impossible." Sam stated in a blank tone as she followed after Thetys, Ben right beside her. This was almost starting to become too much...almost being the key word.

Ben shrugged his shoulder, "You're telling me?" He looked almost offended by the statement, "I'm a human from another universe that can transform into super powerful aliens. Honestly, this is rather tame in comparison, still strange, but tame none the less."

Sam opened her mouth to retort but closed it when she realized that he had a point. Instead, she chose to raise her hands in mock surrender, "Ok, you sort of have a point." She grinned at him as she quickened her pace, leaving Ben in the dust, "It's almost impossible."

Ben responded as any other male would have; he stuck his tongue out.

* * *

"Ok...that's not possible," Jack asked as he stared at the toddler sitting on the edge of the well, squished in between Sam and Thetys. Ben was on the other side of the well, using a pitcher to fetch some water that he could drink.

Thetys tilted her head in confusion, and slight worry, "I do not understand...do your children not change and grow?" If not, then it would appear that they were different in more ways than she had originally thought.

"They do, we do, just not quite like that." Jack shook his head in frustration, while also glancing to Sam for help. He was relieved when he saw Sam nod her head in understanding.

She pointed to a young boy talking to a couple of girls, "Thetys, how old is that boy?"

"Phillippos?" Thetys repeated, not sure as to where the conversation was going, "He is twelve."

Sam blinked; she had not been expecting that. She had thought that the boy, Phillippos, was in his early teens or something like that, "Ok, well he's quite big for a twelve-year-old-"

"Years? What are years?" Thetys asked with an interested look on her face. She had never heard that term before.

Ben grinned at the flustered look on Sam's face; he knew that look all too well. He himself had adopted that same expression whenever he overlooked something so obvious, that it was so stupid, "Ok...a day, for you, is the time it takes for the sun to set from when it had risen in the morning, right?" He looked to Thetys for confirmation. Seeing her nod, he continued, "Take three hundred sixty-five of those days and then you have a year."

Thetys's eyes widened, "But we do not have such a counting of time. Phillippos is only twelve days old!"

"How old are you?" Sam asked in shock. She didn't know what to think, and it appeared that Ben and Jack were the same. The two of them were just staring at each other, blankly and unmoving from their position. She had a feeling as to why with Jack, after all, he had slept with one of Thetys's people. Ben, though, was a mystery.

Thetys frowned at them, "I am twenty-one days old."

Jack swallowed the saliva that had formed in his throat, "And Kynthia?" He was almost too scared to know the answer.

"Thirty-one days," Kynthia replied without a moment's thought.

The world felt like it was going to explode, well at least for Jack that is. He'd had sex with what was essentially a child, a goddam child. He felt like he was going to throw up, "I don't think I feel too well."

"You and me," Ben groaned, his hands over his mouth as he realized what Jack had done, "Jack, do me a favor and never do something like this again!" Oh, God! He could already feel the food he had eaten surging upwards.

While this was going on, Thetys was staring at the two of them, a confused and worried expression on her face. She looked at Sam, who looked just as equally disturbed, "I do not understand...have we done something wrong?"

Honestly, Sam wanted to say yes. She wanted to shout it out to the entire village and let them know that their lifespan was not natural. But she didn't...she knew that it wasn't their fault.

"No. Just a bit surprised," And what a surprise it was. Sam shook her head; things had just gotten a lot more interesting...and maybe far more dangerous.

* * *

"I think Pelops brought humans here to be lab rats. From what we've been able to translate so far, he wanted to know how humans evolve, so he shortened the life span to about 1/250th of normal." Daniel announced as he sat on the cold floor of the temple, his eyes gazing at the marble statue.

Ben snorted from where he stood, which was beside the marble imitation of Pelops, "Talk about speeding up the process." A part of him wanted to smash the statue; how could the natives adore someone like Pelops? It made no logical sense...just like Vilgaxia.

Sam ignored Ben's statement, "So what? You're saying he got impatient and decided that he wouldn't wait a hundred thousand years just to see how humans evolved?" Her frustration was evident, something that Ben chose wisely not to comment on, "That he would mess around with the human life span and only have to wait a hundred years instead."

"That is correct," Teal'c nodded his head, "Pelops wanted to determine how humans would evolve and if there was anything he could do to accelerate the process."

' _Why am I not surprised?_ ' Ben thought to himself as he watched them converse, ' _Dr. Animo, Pelops…they're all the same. They don't care what kind of damage they do, just as long as they get the results they want._ ' It irked him that there were people like them in the universe.

He clapped his hands all of a sudden, drawing all attention to himself, "Well, I don't know about you...but I think the nanites might have something to do with the rapid aging of the people."

His blond co-worker tilted her head in thought, it was possible. She looked to Daniel and Teal'c, "Guys?"

"It's actually very possible." Daniel admitted as he looked at the papers in his lap, "The tablet didn't reveal that much, mostly because it was an archaic form of the Goa'uld language, one that even Teal'c couldn't translate." He released a nervous laugh as he avoided Sam's gaze, "Though there is something...I think Jack might have the nanites inside him as well."

Sam sighed, "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Jack was the only one, out of all of us, to collapse last night." She rested her forehead in her steepled hands.

Jack frowned as he walked through the village, only the fires providing light. He glanced quickly to Daniel, "So, you're telling me that I have these nanites in my body!? Nanites, might I add, that are causing me to fall asleep whenever the sun sets?" Hammond was going to love this.

Sam winced, "Which, we also think are causing you to age rapidly," She pointed to the faint gray hairs that have started to pop up on his head. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves.

"Oh! That's just wonderful. So I'll be dying soon, is that right?" Jack raised his hands into the air, his temper finally at its lid. He might not have been a genius like Sam, or even Daniel, but he understood what his second-in-command meant by her comment.

He rubbed his face in frustration, "...Ok. This is what I want you to do. Go back to the SGC and update Hammond of the situation. After that, I want you to work on finding out how to shut the damned things off."

He paused as he felt the world shift around him, the colors he saw shifting from red to blue and so on, "I think it's happening again," He staggered a bit as he tried to find something to rest on.

Ben's eyes widened, his body automatically moving to catch Jack's falling form. With a grunt, his body nearly collapsed under Jack's sudden weight, "What the hell do you eat!? Bricks?"

"I wish," Jack snorted, his body trying to fight the sleepiness he felt, "You know your job, get to it before I..." Jack's voice cut of as he finally succumbed to the tiredness.

With help from the rest of the team, they rested Jack on a vacant blanket that had been left on the ground. Once he was done with his part, Ben wiped his hands clean, "Well, I don't know about you...but I don't plan to let Jack die of old age," He paused as he realized what he had just said, "That came out wrong, didn't it?"

Sam nodded, although there was a faint smile on her face, "Yup, and rather badly, I might add."

"My mouth is going to get me killed one of these days," Ben groaned as he followed after Sam and Daniel, Teal'c right beside him. His only response? A unanimous laugh.

* * *

 **SGC - Lab**

* * *

"Well you were right," Dr. Janet Fraiser announced as she walked into the lab, a clipboard in her hands, "The nanites do appear to be in both Colonel O'Neill's and the Argosians' blood." She pulled a small CD out of her lab coat pocket and handed it to Sam.

The captain nodded as she took the CD and loaded it into the DVD drive of her computer. To the side, Ben sat on a chair, his legs kicked up as he crossed his hands behind his head, "What about us? We ok?"

Fraiser nodded, "Yeah. There's nothing in either of your bloodstreams that would indicate that you have them." She glanced at the clipboard in her hand, flipping through some of the pages, "Same for Daniel and Teal'c."

Ben frowned at hearing that, it had cemented his fear. He turned to Sam, "I think... the reason that Jack has the nanites, and we don't, is because he was the only one, out of all of us, to have any 'physical' interactions with the native people."

"Heh," Sam snorted in dark amusement, "I always thought that Jack was going to get himself in trouble because of his mouth. Instead, as it turns out, it's his second brain that's the problem." She shook her head; she could chew out Jack later. Instead, she focused on the images that the CD had brought up on her computer screen.

With a cough, Janet approached the desk and pointed to one of the images, "That's the Argosian blood," She then pointed to another image, this one with far more metal particles, "And that is Jack's."

That piqued Ben's interest. He leaned forward so as to get a better look at the digital image, "You wouldn't happen to know why he has so many, would you?"

The doctor shrugged, "I'm not really certain, but it might just be that he's older than the rest of the Argosian people. Maybe it's trying to play catch up. I don't really know."

Sam frowned as she thought over her options. Finally, she glanced to both Janet and Ben, "I'm going to call the General. Ben, can you stay and see what you can find out about the nanites?"

"Yeah, sure thing." Ben nodded as he turned towards Sam. With a quick smile, he shooed her out of the room, "Now leave, I have work to do." Seeing her leave, he turned back to the computer and cracked his knuckles, "Now... just what kind of secrets do you hold?" He paused all of a sudden when he realized something, something that he had overlooked, "Hey...doc?"

Janet blinked as she looked at Ben, "Yes?" She was curious as to what someone like Ben could want.

"I just realized something," He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment; "I don't know how to operate these computers. They're too old for me to actually use them effectively." He was almost too embarrassed to look Janet in the face, but he did.

The doctor rolled her eyes, keeping the amusement she felt contained in her chest. She'd read the report that he had written about his 'home', so it wasn't very surprising to hear that he didn't know how to use such old tech, "Ok...let me take over the computer and you can do the physical work."

Ben nodded, he was ok working with what he knew best and that was using his hands, "Eh, fine by me."

* * *

When Sam returned, she was surprised to find a small mechanical insect-like creature on Janet's shoulder. As she approached them, her eyes lit up in excitement when she saw a familiar symbol on its metal chest plate, "Ben?"

The creature flew from Janet's shoulder and to Sam's face, " _ **Aye! Call me Nanomech, though, when I'm in this from.**_ " Its wings were fluttering so fast that it made a buzzing sound, " _ **What did General Hammond say?**_ "

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database - Nanomech - Nanochip**

* * *

 _Nanomech has the ability to fly. He is very agile, and his wings glow when he is airborne._

 _Nanomech can reduce his size at will, even to microscopic scales. He can return to his original size, but cannot grow any larger. He can launch green bio-electrical energy from his hands and eye, ranging in forms from beams to orbs._

 _He also has the ability to adapt to his opponents very fast._

* * *

"He wants us to go back to the planet and try to help Jack." Sam replied, her attention still consumed by Ben's new form, "...What about you guys? Find out anything more about the nanites?"

Nanomech nodded its tiny head, " _ **Aye! These nanites are different than the ones collected by the MALP. I have a theory as to why, but I need to find something on the planet before I can confirm it.**_ "

"Great," Sam nodded, they were finally getting somewhere, "I'm heading back to the planet now, if you want to join me?"

The tiny mechanical creature shrugged its equally tiny shoulders, " _ **Sweet, guess I can go get my answer now, then.**_ " It looked to Janet, " _ **You need anything else, or am I free to go?**_ "

"No, go on ahead." The doctor shook her head, "I'll get to analyzing these new samples, and then get back to the both of you." She got up and left the room, though not before using a finger to pat Nanomech's head.

Nanomech grumbled to itself, not too pleased with being treated like a dog. With a sigh, it slammed the Omnitrix and reverted back to its human form. Ben looked to the door and then back to Sam, "You need anything else, or should we get going?"

"Ah no, just needed you," Sam smiled at him as she walked out of the room, Ben in tow.

* * *

 **Planet - P3X-8596 - Argos**

* * *

Daniel smiled as he took some notes in his notebook, his mind constantly being amazed by the new things he learned from the natives. His notebook, which had once been completely blank, was almost half way filled with all sorts of information.

He paused in his note taking when he noticed, from the corner of his eyes, the Stargate activating. Well, that and the fact that it was making a lot of noise as the ring of the gate turned in a circular motion.

Getting up, he ran to the door leading to the main chamber of the temple and shouted, "Jack! They're back!"

"I'm coming," A gruff, and strangely enough, old voice shouted. As the owner of the voice walked towards the main room, on the other side, both Ben and Sam were dragging their stuff out of the Stargate.

"And...done!" Ben announced as he allowed himself to rest on the floor, his face set in an annoyed scowl. He looked to Sam, who had just rested her box on the floor, "Couldn't we have just used one of my aliens to carry all this stuff?"

"No," Sam answered plainly as she walked down the steps, "I'm not willing to risk one of your aliens breaking my equipment going through the gate." She paused as she noticed Daniel standing by the door to the temple. She nodded at him, before glancing back to Ben, "Come on. You're helping me set up the equipment."

Both Sam and Ben paused when they heard someone enter the room. Turning to see who it was, both their mouths fell open in shock.

"What?" Jack, an extremely old version of him at least, asked with a deadpan, "Never seen an old man before?" A snort escaped his mouth as he stood before his much younger team.

Sam frowned at him, absentmindedly closing her mouth at the same time, "Sir...we got your blood work back." Her frown deepened as she stared at him, "Ben was right. It's not the food that was the problem...it was the nanites that forced you, and everyone else in the village, to sleep." She gazed at the rest of his body and noted how he seemed to be hunched forward, "Including accelerating the people's growth."

"...How long?" Jack asked after a moment of thought. His teeth were grinding against each other as he clenched his hands shut, "How long do I, and by extension, the rest of the villagers have before we die of old age?"

His only response was a sigh from Ben, "Why do you need to be like that, Jack?" His green eyes were narrowed in frustration as he approached the much 'older' man, "Thinking like that...it's only going to cause more trouble than it's worth." He stretched his hands out as he indicated to the rest of the team, "Do you not trust us? Do you not believe that we can help you? Can it be, have you already lost your fire for living?"

Jack frowned at him, his wrinkled face gaining, even more, wrinkles as he looked at the entire team, "No…you're right. I trust you. I trust you to get me out of this situation and to find a way to shut of these blasted things."

A smile crossed everyone's faces, Jack included.

After a moment of smiling, Daniel broke the silence, "So...now what?" He was curious as to what Ben and Sam's plan was and if there was anything he could do to help.

Ben raised his arm up, the same one with the Omnitrix on it, "Now? Well, now I do my thing and try and give Jack a bit more time." As he searched through the Omnitrix, he couldn't help but think that Jack looked horrible, "He'll need it."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Don't you know that it's rude to insult your elders?" If he had a cane, he would have been slamming it on Ben's head.

"Yeah, but you're not that old...remember?" Ben grinned at Jack, before slamming down the core of the Omnitrix, " **CLOCKWORK!** "

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database - Clockwork - Chronosapien**

* * *

 _Clockwork is the Omnitrix's DNA sample of a Chronosapien from an unknown planet._

 _Clockwork can slow down time around himself, making it look like to others that Clockwork is moving at very high speeds. By rotating the key on his head, he can create a projection of what happened in the past._

 _Clockwork can fire green time rays from his hands or chest which have various effects, such as sending people back in time or into a different timeline, aging an object/person to dust, or restoring individuals who have been erased from time._

 _Because he is as a technological being, it is possible for a Galvanic Mechamorph to merge with Clockwork, enhancing his abilities. When upgraded, Clockwork's time rays become stronger, his speed and stamina_ _increases to superhuman levels, and he gains the ability to morph his hands into drills, as well as shoulder-mounted rocket launchers._

 _Clockwork also has a degree of enhanced strength as he was able to throw a pipe so hard it became heavily embedded into a wall._

* * *

Clockwork was a robot-like alien with skin that is made of copper, with black stripes and a transparent piece of green circular glass on his chest, revealing gears inside of him.

"So, what can this guy do?" Jack asked as he inspected the strange alien before him, "Cause I don't see how a piece of metal is going to help me here... unless you can somehow tell the nanites to turn themselves off?"

" **No,** " Clockwork shook his head in the negative, " **I am not capable of such a thing. Instead, I shall freeze you in this frame of time, giving us the time needed to find a solution to your problem.** "

Jack snorted, "Time, heh, good pun," He shook his head in amusement; truly Ben was a comedy genius, "So what? You're saying you can control time or something like that?"

" **Exactly. Time is a strange thing. It is ancient, but, at the same time, young.** " Clockwork's face was impassive as he started to glow green, the key on his head slowly turning, " **Such a young race...but I see what you will become: a protector, a child, a murderer, all these and more. The future is connected, the past is returning.** "

The glow around his body started traveling towards his hand, seemingly collecting into a simple green orb.

A wary look crossed Jack's face, "Ben? What are you doing?" He didn't like where this was going.

Clockwork ignored the question, focusing on the energy in his hands, " **You, you who have lost a child, will be the lynchpin. Your choices affect all of humanity, not just those of Terra.** "

"Terra?" Daniel blinked, wasn't that one of the ancient names of the Earth? His hand was resting on the handgun that he had clipped to his hip.

" **Earth, Terra, it matters not. In the end, all is one.** " The orb in Clockwork's hands surged towards Jack, " **This will not hurt. If anything, this will be like pressing the pause button on a VHR.** "

The rest of SG-1 watched with baited breath as the orb touched Jack's chest. They trusted Ben, but Clockwork unnerved them. Something about the alien didn't sit right in their guts.

Jack's body seemingly turned grey, a green glow outlining his body.

" **It is done. Jack is stuck in that point in time until he is released.** **For him, no time shall have passed when I do release him.** " Clockwork announced as he turned towards Sam, his feet making a loud banging sound every time he moved, " **Now...what is your next plan of action?** "

The blond captain said nothing as she looked at the frozen form of her superior. She didn't know what to think, the fact that Ben had an alien that could control time...it was strange. It went against everything she knew

She looked back to Clockwork, "...I'm going to... I'll just be…" Her head started spinning as she tried to come to terms with what she just saw happen. It was impossible, and yet, she saw it happen before her very own eyes.

Clockwork smiled sympathetically at her as he rested his left hand on her shoulder, " **It is strange, true, but do not let that distract you. There are hundreds of people depending on you finding a way to turn off the nanites.** "

"Of course," Sam shook her head, Clockwork was right. Now wasn't the time to be wondering on what was possible and what was impossible. She looked to Daniel and Teal'c, "Where did you say you found the tablet?"

Daniel pointed to the statue of Pelops, "At the base of the statue. There was some sort of compartment there that it had been resting in."

"Really?" Sam raised an eyebrow in interest, "Ok, show me where this compartment is. There might be some clues as to how to stop the nanites."

Teal'c watched as Daniel led Sam to the location where they found the Goa'uld tablet. While he watched them, his mind was elsewhere. To be exact, it was on Clockwork.

He had seen yet another example of Ben's power. To be able to manipulate time, something that even the Goa'uld feared...it was awe inspiring. He knew that Ben was as mortal as anyone else was, yet he had these powers, powers that even the kindest Goa'uld would kill for.

Had the Goa'uld found him...he didn't even want to think about such a possibility. He paused as he noticed Clockwork move towards Sam and Daniel, his bulky body casting a shadow a few feet ahead of him.

" **Have you found anything of interest?** " Clockwork asked as he looked down on the two crouching humans.

Sam shook her head in the negative, the smile on her face strained by the annoyance she felt with him, "No, but it would probably help if you weren't blocking the light."

" **Oh! Sorry,** " Clockwork shuffled to the side, his shadow moving out of both her and Daniel's way, " **That any better?** " If needed, he was ready to change into a different alien, one that could avoid becoming a hindrance to the team.

Sam nodded in thanks as she took a look at the compartment, "So this is where you found the tablet?" She could see what appeared to be circuitry running throughout the insides of the small space.

"Yeah," Daniel nodded, "You see anything?" He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't curious if Sam had found something. He scooted a bit closer so that he could get a better look at the insides of the space where he and Teal'c had found the Goa'uld tablet.

"Maybe...I'm not certain." Sam bit the bottom of her lip as she traced some of the circuit like patterns. She looked to Clockwork, "Ben, you think you can do something about this statue? I want to see what's at the base of it."

Clockwork frowned... that was a big thing that she wanted. On one hand, he was afraid as to what would happen if he strained himself too much, and on the other one, he wanted to help her find a cure to the problem.

In the end, it all came down to one question. Could he live with himself if he allowed Jack and hundreds of others to die when there was something he could have done to help.

Making his decision, he looked back to Sam, " **Very well, please step to the side.** " Once he was certain that they were a safe distance away, he shot a green beam of energy from his hand towards the statue. After a few seconds, he allowed the energy to stop streaming out of his hand.

The team watched as the statue appeared to crumble into dust, the faint wind from outside blowing it away. Clockwork looked at Sam, " **Is that what you wanted?** "

Sam sweat dropped, that wasn't quite what she had in mind. She looked to the alien, a slight pleading tone in her voice, "Please tell me you can undo what you just did?!" Despite it being worded as a question, both she and Clockwork knew that it was anything but. She sighed in relief when she saw the mechanical alien nod his head.

" **Worry not. Just as time marches forward... so can it in reverse.** " Clockwork stated, the key on his head slowly turning as the glow around him faded, " **I can just as easily rebuilt as I have destroyed.** " He paused as he gazed at what remained of the statue, " **Although, you might want me to wait until you've looked at the base, right?** "

"Yup," Sam smiled at him, her blue eyes locked onto his green ones. Breaking her gaze from him, she wiped some of the dust away from her clothes as she looked back at what remained of the statue, which was the stand that it had been standing on, "Teal'c?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow in interest as he approached the group, "Yes, Captain Carter?"

"What exactly is this?" Sam asked as she scrutinized one of the few remaining stones. She could hear a faint sound coming from it, but it kept cutting out, probably because of its advanced age. She handed it to the Jaffa in the hopes that he could explain, "I'm thinking it's a transmitter but I can't be too certain."

As he looked at the object, Teal'c couldn't help but agree, "It appears to be so." He pointed to one of the markings on it, "This appears to be the central node while the rest of the patterns are the 'wires', as your kind would put it." He handed it back to Sam, "Although, old age appears to have damaged it."

"So if we were to fix it, we could turn the nanites of?" Sam asked; hope blooming in her chest as she cradled the transmitter in her hands.

"Essentially, yes." Teal'c replied as he tilted his head in thought, he didn't want to give his team mates false hope, "There is a chance, though, that the transmitter is not the one we need."

Sam shrugged as she placed the object on the ground, "It's a chance I'm willing to take." She looked to Ben as she took a few steps back, "Ben? You think you can de-age this?"

Her only answer was a blast of green energy hitting the transmitter. She watched as the object appeared to become newer, losing some of the rust that had formed on it. Once she was certain he was done, she picked back up the object, "Thanks."

" **No problem,** " Clockwork simply replied, " **If you need me to, I can also fuse with the device and manually shut it off.** "

That stumped Sam as she had not been expecting that, "I thought that form could only control time...or do you mean you would use another alien?" She paused as she stared at the small transmitter, "But if you can, yes please."

Clockwork nodded, before slamming the Omnitrix, " **UPGRADE!** "

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database - Upgrade - Galvanic Mechamorph**

* * *

 _Upgrade is the Omnitrix's DNA sample of a Galvanic Mechamorph from Galvan Prime's moon, Galvan B._

 _Upgrade is not completely solid, as he can be both liquid and gelatinous. Due to this, he can reshape himself to let projectiles or blows pass through him by creating a hole in his body at will._

 _Upgrade can use his internal nanotechnology to merge with and possess any technology by encasing himself over it. The size of the device is not significant and he controls it as naturally as he would his own body. When he merges, he upgrades the technology, making the technology he possess far more advanced and futuristic and causing new features to form on it._

 _Possessing technology allows him to transform it with seemingly no limit, such as merging with a baseball launching machine and turning it into a tripod-like robot that fired a seemingly infinite amount of baseballs, while the moment he un-merged with it, it returned to normal. He can also make his head or his face appear anywhere on the machines he possesses. Occasionally, he can merge with organic beings, as long as there is machinery integrated within them._

 _Upgrade has displayed the ability to launch a powerful green energy blast from his eye. He can form energy constructs such as an energy spike, though mostly while merged with machinery and upgrading them into weapons. Upgrade has the capability to travel through electrical currents_

 _He can form energy constructs such as an energy spike, though mostly while merged with machinery and upgrading them into weapons. Upgrade has the capability to travel through electrical currents._

 _Due being made of living metal, Upgrade is able to regenerate himself._

* * *

" **So?  What do you think?**" Upgrade asked as he showed off his body, the green circle on his 'face' lighting up every time he spoke. His gelatinous body was black with green stripes that resembled circuitry all over him.

Sam blinked as she poked the new alien, his skin rippling from the contact, "Pretty cool...so I'm assuming this new form isn't completely solid?"

Upgrade nodded his head, a grin on his face, " **That's right.  This body is made completely out of nanotechnology, which means, I am not constrained to just one shape.**" He motioned for her to hand over the stone, " **It also means that I can merge with all types of technology, and yes, even ones that I have never seen before.** "

His hand started to morph as it wrapped around the stone, knowledge about its purpose being downloaded into his head. As a mental map of the device started forming in his head, he looked to Teal'c, " **I'll give Pelops this; he's one smart cookie.** "

With a bout of concentration, he started to reprogram the device, ordering it to do the opposite of what it was intended for, " **Lucky for us, though, he's never met** **me** **before** **.** "

The team, minus Jack, watched as pulses of green energy escaped Upgrade's 'hand'. The air seemed to shimmer as the energy washed over them, leaving them feeling slightly cold, like a blanket had just been removed of them.

There was no reason for them to feel such a thing and yet they did.

"That it?" Sam asked once she was was certain that her friend was done. A shiver escaped her mouth as she tried to warm herself up, rubbing her hands together tightly.

Upgrade shook his head in the negative, " **No. That was me turning off the nanites that have been watching us.** " Another wave of energy shot out of his hand, " **And that...was me telling the nanites in the Argosian's blood to deactivate themselves.** "

"Somebody's been watching us this whole time!?" Daniel asked as he instinctively rested his hand on his handgun, worry evident on his face.

" **Yes,** " Upgrade nodded his head as he handed Sam back the transmitter, " **The nanites were sending a live feed to Pelops.** " He smiled at Sam, " **I think it was a way for him to keep an eye on the people in case he wasn't here to do so himself.** "

"Meaning that he saw you use the Omnitrix?" Sam winced; Hammond wasn't going to be pleased about that. She released a sigh, "Ok, go on ahead and release Jack. We can deal with this new problem when we get back.

Upgrade simply nodded his head as he slammed the Omnitrix symbol. A familiar flash of green light blinded the room, " **CLOCKWORK!**!"

* * *

Jack winced as he cracked his back, his bones popping back into place, "God! How long was I asleep for?" He was already feeling his strength come back, despite still looking like a wrinkly prune.

"Well, sir. You weren't actually asleep. The best way to describe is akin to a form of suspended animation." Sam replied hastily, happy to share her knowledge on the subject. She paused when she saw Jack give her 'the look', the same one that said he didn't want such a complicated answer, "Sorry sir. Like Ben said, it's like pressing the pause button on a movie."

Jack nodded as he approached Ben, "Now why couldn't you have just said that?" Sometimes, he felt like slamming his head on a wall every time Sam gave one of her explanations.

Sam ducked her head in apology. She had forgotten that Jack liked simple answers.

As the duo stood by the edge of the village, Jack couldn't help but frown as he saw Kynthia walking among the villagers, her face indicating that she was looking for someone. A sigh escaped his mouth, "I really don't know what to do about her." He glanced to Ben, who was resting against the fountain, "What about you? Any suggestions?"

"No," Ben replied as he fiddled with the Omnitrix, his eyes never leaving it, "But then again, I've never had a one night stand before." He paused as he looked to Jack, his hands still working on the alien watch, "Tell me...do you feel your heart beat faster when you look at Kynthia?"

Jack paused as he thought about Ben's question, despite the irritation he felt. He couldn't help but rest his hand on his chest, right where his heart was, "No...I feel nothing."

A sigh escaped the younger man's mouth, "Then you have your answer." He looked away from Jack as he stared at the sky, "What you had with Kynthia was not love and I'm certain you knew that already." With a pat on Jack's shoulder, he motioned for him to go to Kynthia, "Go talk to her, Jack. Explain to her how you feel and if you're lucky, she won't be too mad."

Grumbling to himself, he hobbled over to Kynthia, leaving Ben and Sam alone.

"So..." Sam started as she looked at what Ben was doing, "Never had a one night stand before?" To be honest, she wasn't surprised. He didn't seem like the type of guy to do something like that. She shook her head in amusement; who ever married him was bound to be a lucky woman.

"Yeah," Ben replied as he started reorganizing the playlists on the Omnitrix, "Wife would have killed me if I did something like that." A fond smile crossed his lips as he remembered his Julie.

Before Sam could ask any more questions, she noticed both Daniel and Teal'c approach them, "You guys ready to go?"

Daniel was the one to respond, "Yeah. The Argosian's have allowed me to take some of their relics for study," The excitement he felt was evident as he raised the bag in his hand into the air, "Can't wait to get back home and get to work on them."

Ben smiled at him, before looked at Teal'c, "What about you, big man? Anything interesting happen?"

"No," Teal'c shook his head in the negative, "Everything has been the same for me."

All four of them stopped when they saw Jack hobble back to them, a bright red mark on his left cheek. Jack looked at Ben with a scowl, "You were wrong," That was all he said to Ben as he passed the team, "Come on. I want to go home and forget this ever happened."

* * *

 **SGC - Briefing Room**

* * *

As Hammond took a seat at the head of the table, he smiled at SG-1, "I'm glad to see that you were able to find a solution for your problem, Jack." He smiled at the much 'older' man, "Which means you can write your report when we are finished here."

"Yeah...how great," Jack cheered sarcastically, his right hand raised into the air.

Hammond rolled his eyes, "Get over it Jack. It's a part of this job. If you don't like it, then go look for another one." He glanced to Ben and nodded, "We've destroyed the samples like you've asked, though I still don't quite understand the reasoning."

Sam, being one of the few to understand the reasoning, was the first to speak, "Well, according to Ben, the nanites that the MALP brought back were not the same as the ones in Jack's body."

"Really?" That piqued the General's interest. Leaning back into his chair, he gave her the go ahead to continue speaking.

"Yes, sir," She looked at Ben before looking back at Hammond, "One of Ben's aliens can apparently fuse with technology, allowing him to upgrade it years ahead of what it can actually do, which is how he learned that the nanites we brought back are essentially spy cams."

Hammond blinked, not sure how to react to such a thing. After a few minutes, he looked to Ben, "Do you know who was watching?"

"No," Ben replied as he crossed his hands behind his head, "But I have reason to believe that it is Pelops, as he was the one who made them." Seeing Hammond nod, he winced, "Also, Sir, it would mean that he saw me use the Omnitrix."

The good General sighed, why couldn't anything ever be simple? He rested his head in his hands as he motioned for the team to leave, "Dismissed."

* * *

Walking out of the room, Ben turned to his team mates, "Well I think that went well," He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "I mean it _could_ have gone better, but all things considered, it was the best we could really hope for."

"Ben," Jack started as he walked ahead, "Do me a favor...shut up!" He wasn't too happy with Ben, mostly because the advice he gave resulted in a slap on the face.

A pout formed on Ben's face as he watched Jack leave, "He's not going to hold that over me...is he?" Because if he did, that would suck.

"Don't worry about it," Daniel replied as he patted Benn on the shoulder, "He'll get over it eventually." He waved at Teal'c, Sam and Ben before leaving for his office, "See you guys later."

Scratching his head, he started walking to his own lab, which was really half of Sam's, "If you need me, you know where to find me." He smiled at his team mates, "Cause I've got some cool ideas for weapons that can give us an advantage against the Goa'uld."

Sam's eyes sparkled in excitement, "Sweet." She smiled at Teal'c, "See you later." Quickly catching up to Ben, they started chatting, not seeing the smile on Teal'c's face.

* * *

 **It's done my friends.  
**

 **I want to thank all my reviewers and everyone that followed and favorited. Everyone that viewed and decided they didn't like the story, eh that's not my problem.**

 **Also, as we can all see, more changes are happening.**

 **Review, Like and Favorite!**

 **Let's see if we can get to THIRTY reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A new chapter in a new year guys. I know this is kind of late, but better than never am I right? Enjoy and drop a like and fav. And for God's sake.. don't forget the bloody review.**

* * *

"So, why am I here?" Ben asked with a yawn, his eyes heavy from lack of sleep. His hands were crossed behind his head while his legs were resting on the table that Daniel had rested his papers on.

He, Daniel and Sam were currently sitting in the briefing room, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. Hammond had not been pleased when he realized that Jack was late, again. To make matters worse, it appeared that Teal'c had picked up some of his habits, which included tardiness.

Daniel smiled at him, barely managing to contain his excitement, "You'll just have to wait and see."

Ben smiled at him, "Fine..." He closed his eyes as he fiddled with the plain metal ring on his middle finger, "But it better be good. I was almost done with the first prototype of a new gun."

"Really?" Sam asked, her blue eyes wide with excitement, "I thought it was still ways off before a prototype would be ready." Oh man, now she wanted to be out of here. Silently, she cursed both Jack and Teal'c for being late.

"Yeah," Ben nodded his head, "I just got to make some minute changes and then it will be ready for testing," He smiled at the giddy expression on Sam's face. She was like a child in a candy store, only replace the child with a woman and the candy store with technology, "You want to help?"

Sam nodded her head without a second thought, "Of course!" She was bouncing in her seat, her excitement evident.

Before Daniel could comment on the scene, their two missing members had come into the room. As they took a seat at the table, Teal'c bowed his head in remorse, "I apologize for being late. O'Neill has been showing me some of your strange Earth customs, including the consumption of the highly-caffeinated drink known as coffee."

Ben gave Jack a dry stare, "Really? You decided to risk Hammond's wrath just so that you could show our Jaffa friend here the joys of coffee?" He shook his head in exasperation, "I really don't understand you at times, Jack."

Jack, taking a seat at the table, rolled his eyes, "So what? Besides, it's not like I've done anything wrong. In fact, I dare say that we've given Teal'c here a head start in making a life on this planet."

"On the contrary," Teal'c interrupted Jack, "I have not had sexual intercourse with any of the females of the Tau'ri."

Sam coughed as she tried to regain her breath, the water she was drinking having gone down the wrong throat. Seeing her co-workers look at her with concern, she blushed, "Sorry, just kind of caught by surprise. It won't happen again, I promise."

Jack's eyebrow twitched in irritation, "It better not," He glanced to Teal'c with a betrayed expression, "And come on T, I thought we were getting past this phase. It's just an expression!"

It was at that moment that Hammond chose to enter the room, mostly because he could hear O'Neill shouting, "Where on God's green Earth have you been Colonel O'Neill!?" He demanded angrily.

"Uh... sleeping?" Jack replied unsurely as he looked away from the general. He didn't know how well Hammond would react if he learned that he had been showing Teal'c around the town.

"We will be having words about this Colonel," Hammond warned Jack. Calming himself down, he looked at Daniel, "You say you've come up with some new theory about the Stargate, Doctor Jackson?"

Daniel nodded with a grin, "Yes sir." Gathering his papers together, he stood up next to the small computer that he had brought into the room, "If you study myths worldwide, it looks as if there were two different kinds of star gods. Um. The tyrants who treated their subjects like cattle, demanding absolute obedience, and utilizing their technology to punish and control."

"Like the Goa'uld?" Ben suggested as he stared at the image that was on the computer screen. It looked like he was looking at some sort of Egyptian mural, with animal-headed people surrounding what could be presumed to be humans.

The archaeologist nodded with a smile on his face, "Correct." Pressing a key on the keyboard, a new picture appeared, "And then there were the culture bearers who used knowledge and technology to benefit humans."

"So you're saying that there were other aliens that had visited our planet in the past? Friendly aliens to be exact?" Hammond asked with a raised eyebrow. Seeing Daniel nod, he rubbed his chin in thought, "Well, how does that affect us today?"

Daniel looked at one of the papers in his hands, "As we know, the Goa'uld are parasitic by nature. If we take that into consideration, it would make sense, then, that they did not create the Stargate, but merely found it and used it to help their rise to power."

Hammond nodded, that was a fair assessment, but he could tell that Daniel wasn't finished.

"It also stands to reason, then, that the good gods might have used it as well. Which means that they might still be out there."

Ben grinned, he liked where this was going, "I'm going to assume that you have an idea as to who they might be, right?"

"Yup," Daniel nodded once again, "To be exact... the Vikings." He pointed to the picture on the screen. It depicted a bearded man throwing a hammer at a group of giant, man-like creatures, "The gods that they worshiped were known for their might, a good example being Thor. His weapon, the hammer being thrown, went by many names, the most common one being Mjölnir. A rough translation renders it as meaning, 'The Grinder' or 'Crusher'."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Just get on with it Daniel. I'm not here for a history lesson, and if I was, I wouldn't be here. I'd have gone back to school... _for the girls_ ," He mumbled the last part to himself so as to avoid incurring anyone's ire.

"Yes, well, it was said that when Thor threw his hammer, lightning and thunder would follow, which is what gave him his title of the thunder god," Daniel continued, ignoring Jack's comment, "This could indicate some sort of, uh, advanced energy weapon. Legend has it that the hammer could actually destroy mountains. So... yeah."

"What Daniel's trying to say is that these 'gods' might be more advanced than the Goa'uld and we should try to find them." Jack stated with a small sigh as he looked at Hammond, "With your permission, Sir."

As Hammond thought it over, he couldn't help but notice that Teal'c was staring at the picture a bit too much, "Is something the matter, Teal'c."

"That symbol... I know it," Teal'c replied, his dark eyes narrowed in thought, "It is the mark of the planet Cimmeria. All Jaffa are taught the address of the planet so that they might not go there by accident."

"Really?" Sam's eyebrows raised in interest as she rested her elbows on the table.

Teal'c nodded his head, "It is not known exactly why, but something happened on the planet. Something so terrifying that no Goa'uld will ever mention it."

"I like the sound of that," Jack grinned, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He glanced at Hammond, "Permission to go there?"

The general closed his eyes, his mind working out the benefits of authorizing such a mission, before finally opening them back up. "Permission granted. If something happened to make the Goa'uld afraid... I want to know why and how we can use it to our benefit."

"I guess that's it, then. Let me know when it's time to go, 'cause I've got some work to take care of." Ben stood up, a faint smile on his face. He gave a small bow to Hammond, "With your permission?"

Hammond simply nodded, "Granted."

* * *

 **One Hour Later - Sam's/Ben's office**

* * *

As he sat by his table, Ben couldn't help but smile as he stared at the small, plain, ring in his hand. It was finally ready. Taking the ring, he slid it onto his index finger and slightly rubbed it with his thumb.

He watched as the ring seemingly melded into a silver liquid and crawled to the center of his palm, forming a small pistol. His smile widened as he gave it a few test swings, making sure that it didn't weigh too much.

"That it?" Sam asked as she entered the room, her eyes locked onto the strange looking gun, "Not gonna lie... Jack's going to be disappointed."

Ben rolled his eyes as he turned the gun back into its ring form, "Let me guess, he wanted a big gun?" Seeing her nod, he sighed, "Tell him he's not getting it."

A laugh escaped Sam's mouth, "Will do." She approached the table and looked at some of the notes on the table. She picked up one of the papers and frowned, "I still can't believe you actually managed to do this. I mean, this is tech we could have never imagined making in our lifetimes."

"Wow... talk about hurting my feelings." Ben rested his right hand over his heart, "Your lack of faith in me is rather depressing." He gave her a mock pout, his eyes even making a few tears.

He shook his head as he took the ring off, "But yeah. It's mostly thanks to Grey Matter and Upgrade that I was able to make this." He held his hand out, offering the ring to Sam, "You wanna try it?"

"Yeah," She took the ring from him and raised it into the light, "What is this made out of? It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before." She also noticed that it weighed less than a normal ring.

Ben rubbed his chin in thought, as he tried to find a way to explain himself, "Nanites, actually." He chuckled at the slightly wide eyes on Sam's face, "Don't worry, they're not the ones from Argo. These nanites are based on the ones in my universe." He refrained himself from revealing that the nanites had tried to kill him a few times... that wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.

"Interesting." She put the ring on her index finger and watched as it shrunk to fit it, "How do you activate it?"

"Well, currently, you just rub the side of the ring." He mimicked the motion so that Sam could see it, "Any questions?"

Sam nodded, she had more questions than Ben could ever know. They spent a few good hours in the lab just talking about the mechanics of the ring, even practicing with it for a few minutes.

* * *

 **Planet -** **P3X-974 -Cimmeria**

* * *

As the sun shone brightly above the inhabitants of the planet, the gateway to the heavens started spinning. Some of the natives hurried behind the protective barrier of the obelisk as the rest, mostly younger men and women, watched with interest.

It had been many rotations of the planet since a visitor had come to their planet. The last one was the demon-god turned village healer, Kendra. They were curious if these new people were the same, or, like the savior-gods that had rescued their ancestors.

It wasn't long before the strange watery substance of the ring had formed. The rest of the people, the ones that had chosen not to hide, panicked as they quickly tried to find a place of hiding.

They all watched as the strange visitors came through, each and every one of them unique in their own way. They were mostly taken away by the man with the hair of Odin, truly he must have been the wisest of the group, his wisdom knowing no boundaries.

The next one, the man with the eyes of Loki, was also interesting. His eyes were like emeralds of the finest caliber, analyzing things to the finest detail, leaving no stone unturned.

They shivered as he turned towards them, his eyes seemingly piercing their very soul.

" _Jack,_ " The man announced to the wise man, his voice as soothing as a mother's lullaby, " _I think we have guests._ " His hand went to the strange garment on his wrist, his eyes weary and ready for action.

The final man, one that the natives of the planet had not noticed before, rested his massive hand on the Loki, " _Worry not Benjamin. I do not think that they mean harm. They are only curious as to who we are._ "

The natives, seeing the engraving on the giant's forehead, grinned. So these gods had brought the giant to be punished by Thor? They couldn't help but get excited at the thought of seeing the power of Thor again.

"Thor!"

"Thor!"

" **Thor!** "

" **THOR!** "

Soon the chanting had increased to full on screaming as their god's weapon started to glow with divine power.

The visitors panicked, with Jack taking the lead and pointing to another man, the one with the strange contraption on his face, " _Daniel, dial back the gate! We're leaving now!_ "

" _Why?_ " The man asked, not understanding the threat against his being. Before he could follow up with another question, a bright beam of light shot out from the obelisk and hovered over him, before moving on to Jack.

Jack raised his hand to try and shield against the brightness, _"What is this?_ " As it scanned the rest of the group, it finally stopped on the Etin. They watched as the being screamed in pain, clutching his stomach in vain hope of saving himself.

" _I've got this_." The one with the eyes of Loki exclaimed as he pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing a strange green contraption on his arm. Popping up the dial, he quickly slammed down on the image that appeared. A green light blinded all those who could see him.

" **FASTTRACK!** " The man announced as the light faded, only it wasn't a man that stood there **.**

* * *

 **Omnitrix Database - Fasttrack - Citrakayah  
**

* * *

 _Fasttrack is a feline-like alien with a black suit-like color scheme. His hands, legs, part of his head, and chest are colored blue. He has spikes on his hands and legs. He also has black Wolverine mask-like fins around his green eyes. He has a triangle-shaped nose, and a thunderbolt-like design down his chest._

 _Fasttrack has enhanced speed and agility._

 _Fasttrack has enhanced strength_

 _Fasttrack is capable of jumping to great heights whilst running._

 _Fasttrack is shown to have good reflexes._

 _The blade-like structures on his arms and legs could also be used as weapons to cut and tear when running past someone at a fast pace._

* * *

The strange new creature ran as fast as it could to try and retrieve its friend from the weapon of Thor, only to be caught in the same beam. While it didn't cause any obvious harm, it prevented him from moving or trying to escape.

As the light grew brighter, Jack ran to try and save his friends from whatever was happening. As he made contact with the two, the light finally reached its climax and blinded everyone within the vicinity.

When it finally died down, the three Etins were gone, leaving only the good beings.

Seeing that nothing else was going to happen, most of the villagers scattered, leaving only a few select individuals with the visitors.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

* * *

When Ben came back to consciousness, it was not to the sight of his teammates. No, instead, he found himself looking at some sort of Roswell Gray. Its beady black eyes were staring directly into his own, slightly unnerving the young human.

"You are awake?" The creature asked with a slow blink of its eyes. Its hand was stark cold as it rested it on Ben's stomach, "I had thought that you would be asleep much longer." It pressed a button on some sort of strange table, "I will have to administer a much stronger version of the sedative."

Ben frowned as he found himself being levitated to the table, his body stiff as a board. He raised his head and looked at the machine above him, the one that was holding him in some form of stasis.

"Can't we talk about this?" Ben asked, his green eyes wide as he looked at all the technology in the room, "I mean, I'm certain we can come to some sort of compromise."

The alien paused as it looked at the human, "One human cannot hope to solve my people's problem. The only thing you can offer me is your DNA and answers to my questions."

"A trade then?" Ben proposed, hoping to get a chance to use the Omnitrix to transform, "You let me go, and I help you with whatever it is you plan to do?" He shrugged his shoulders as best as he could, "I mean you don't have to force me to help... assuming your people's problem isn't anything morally wrong."

"Very well," The alien nodded its head as it pressed a button, the stasis field being removed. He didn't even blink as Ben fell to the floor "I do this for my people's survival. I do not actively seek to cause harm." His face fell into a small frown, "If you help me, and do not try to sabotage my work, I will return you back to your planet, unharmed."

Ben nodded as he got off the floor, "Fair enough." He stuck his hand out for a handshake, "My name's Ben Tennyson."

The alien stared at the outstretched appendage in front of him. Tentatively taking it, he allowed Ben to shake it, "I am Loki of the Asgard Species."

* * *

Jack groaned as he got off the rocky ground, his back surging in pain. His eyes were squinted as he tried to make out where he was. Despite the darkness, he was able to make out his friend laying on the ground.

He rushed to Teal'c side, "You still with us, big man?" He rested his hand on the bigger man's chest, feeling for a heartbeat or something that would indicate he was still alive.

"I am fine," Teal'c muttered as he opened his eyes. The first thing he did was rest his hand over his pouch, feeling for the symbiote that he was cursed with.

Jack smiled, happy that at least one thing went well. He glanced at the rest of the dark cavern, hoping to find his other teammate, "Hey... so you know how your eyesight is better than mine?" He asked with a small frown. Seeing Teal'c nod, he continued, "You think you can find Ben?

"I will try," While he did not have night vision, something that Jack insisted he had, he was able to see the faintest source of light.

His eyes scanned every inch of the rocky floor, hoping to find something that was darker than the rest of the ground. Seeing nothing, he frowned, "I am sorry. Benjamin is not here."

The frown on Jack's face conveyed the worry that he felt, though, he soon covered it up with a smile, "I'm certain he's fine. He's a big boy... he can hold out on his own for now."

"Agreed,"

The two looked around the area and noticed a faint bluish light coming from another part of the cavern. Deciding to take their chances, they followed the path leading to the source of light.

Once they had arrived at the source, they were surprised to find a tall warrior standing before them, " **I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet. The High Council of the Asgard has designated Cimmeria a safe world for developing sentient species by unanimous decree, Era 40.73.29. The Goa'uld System Lords were so informed!** " The figure thundered.

"Ah," Understanding dawned on Jack's face. He pointed to himself and Teal'c. "We're not Goa'uld, I mean, Teal'c carries one, but he doesn't have much of a choice."

" **You were warned not to come here. Under pain of death**."

Jack groaned into his hand, "Look, I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot. I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill from Earth." He waved his hands in a so-so gesture, "We came here to meet you actually. We have it on good authority that you spent some time there in the past."

" **For crimes against the living host and all those you have murdered and enslaved, the sentence is death.** " The hammer in Thor's hand was raised to the sky, a loud booming sound reverberating throughout the hollow area, " **This is your prison. Your technology will not function. There are no luxuries, no worshippers, no slaves to do your bidding…** "

Jack poked the figure with his gun and watched as it was distorted. A groan escaped his mouth, "Teal'c... I think we just got the answering machine."

" **…only basic sustenance. And time.** "

As Jack made his way to leave the small 'room', Teal'c rested his hand on his shoulder, "I suggest we hear the rest of the message. It may provide a way for us to escape."

" **When you tire of this existence, go to the Hall of Mjollnir and face the Hammer.** " Thor held the hammer out, " **There is no escape. Only the host can leave this place. Alive.** "

* * *

Daniel frowned as he watched Gairwyn lead them down a worn path. She was taking him and Sam to someone who could supposedly help them rescue their teammates. Personally, he still felt guilty about what had happened.

If he had just listened to Jack, maybe they could have saved the three of them from being abducted, or whatever it was that happened.

"It's ok, Daniel," Sam whispered softly as she rested her hand on his shoulder. She could tell that he was beating himself up over what happened, "I would have acted the same way,"

He nodded his head, though, he didn't really believe her. He wasn't going to argue with Sam, especially when she was only trying to cheer him up, "You think they're ok?" He knew that Ben could handle himself, though, the same couldn't be said about Jack and Teal'c. Teal'c was in pain and probably wounded, so that meant he wasn't at his best. Jack... well he was himself.

"As long as they stick together, they should be fine." Sam reassured him, "Besides, they have Ben." She had faith that Ben could protect the team, even against natural forces, "Hell, if time is the only problem, he can just go Clockwork and stop it." Just remembering the alien made her giddy with excitement.

Daniel sighed, "I know... just... did I ever tell you that he was my best man at my wedding?" He looked at the small ring on his hand, it's shine reflecting in the bright sunlight, "I mean... at first we weren't all that close, but after a while, well, let's just say I considered him my closest friend."

"I understand," She really did. She had read the updated file that Daniel had written up for the SGC and her heart went out to him, "We'll find all three of them healthy as a horse."

While he doubted that, Jack wasn't exactly known for being able to stay out of trouble, he still had hope, "Let's hope so."

* * *

Ben frowned as he stared at the strange symbols scrawling down the screen, an image of his body next to it, "So what are we looking for?" He was currently hovering over the much shorter alien, his head trying to make heads or tail of the strange language.

He knew that he was smart, smarter than most humans... but this was something else. Maybe because this wasn't his universe, but his Omnitrix couldn't seem to translate it.

Sure, there were a few words that it could make out, but that was because it had relations to the ancient language of the Vikings. Most of it was unreadable to the displaced human.

"Your DNA is interesting." Loki spoke, his eyes never leaving the station, "Any lesser species would have failed to notice it, but there are some major differences between you and that of a human. I would have even taken it for an Alteran's had you not told me about your journey."

Loki looked up at the human, his big eyes only blinking in interest, "It appears that your DNA has the potential to absorb energy and release it back out in destructive waves." He tapped something on the console and watched as a holographic image appeared, "They appear to be dormant though, as if something locked away that part of your genetic makeup."

"That might be because of my Grandmother, she was an energy-based being that took human form so as to mate with my grandfather," Ben admitted freely, not all that concerned about giving away personal information, "According to her, I didn't have the spark."

Now, had the Asgard not abandoned most emotions, Loki would have been banging his head on the metal console, "Interesting." This would be something worth researching when he had some spare time.

In the meantime, though, he had to plug the new variables into the console so as to compensate for the alien heritage. If all went well then this would be the start of a cure that would at the least buy some more time for his people, if not completely solve their problems.

* * *

Jack frowned as he looked at the monstrous beast before him, his rifle never wavering from the creature's chest, "What are you!?" The thing was a grotesque creature, the stink of it reaching Jack even though he was meters away from it.

" **I am UNAS!** " The creature roared, its form getting bigger as it got closer to Jack and Teal'c. Its razor sharp teeth were glistening with the light of the small well, " **And you will be my next meal!** "

Teal'c, stepped back slightly, his fear evident to both Jack and the creature, "You do not exist!" He made a motion with his hands, as if warding off some sort of evil spirit, "You are but a myth that parents tell their young!"

" **Oh! But I do Jaffa, I was the first of our kind to take a host, such is my title as Unas!** " It stepped closer, " **Join me... and we will feed on this Tau'ri!** "

Jack took that as his cue to shoot the thing. If it scared Teal'c, who never got scared, then it had to go. He released the safety on the rifle and pulled the trigger. It was almost satisfying to watch it fall down on the ground, dead.

"Come on T, let's go find this gate and get out of here," Jack stated, watching to make sure the creature didn't get back up from the ground.

* * *

Sam frowned as she watched the mysterious lady in the hut, her hand adorned with a Goa'uld hand device, put her hand on the child. Before she could even process what was happening, she had pulled her handgun out of its holster and pointed it at the woman.

Gairwyn, seeing what was about to happen, panicked and put herself in front of their guns in an attempt to stop them from killing her, "Stop! She is a friend!" She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come from their strange devices. But it never came.

She opened her eyes and saw that they had holstered their guns. A soft sigh of relief came out of her mouth, "Kendra is a good person and if anyone can help you get your friends back, it will be her."

"Why?" Daniel asked the obvious question.

Their guide merely smiled as she motioned for them to go down to the hut, "She will explain, but to make it simple, she too was whisked away by the Hammer of Thor. When she came back, she was different, changed by the power of Thor."

Sam and Daniel shared a look, worry evident on their faces. This was bound to be interesting.

* * *

Ben smiled as he watched Loki press a few button on the console before them. If their calculations were correct, then they had a genetic template that the Asgard could use to prevent any more damage to their DNA. Unfortuantly, it wasn't enough to undo the existing damage, but it was enought for Loki. It proved that they still had hope for a better future.

"The clone is being made right now," Loki stated in his usual bland tone, although, something told Ben that Loki was slightly excited. He didn't blame him, he too would be happy if he had found a way to save his family and people.

The two watched side by side as the process to make the new body was started. Ben, though, still felt kind of bad for Loki and his people. He looked at the short alien, "Loki... if this doesn't work... there is something else that I can do. I can't promise that it will work... but it will be worth a shot." He raised his hand to stop the far older creature before him, "For me to do it, though, I need your people to agree to what I would propose to do."

Loki nodded his head, "Understood. If this does not work, or if the damage continues, I will talk to the leaders of my planet." He paused as a thought hit him. He pulled something out of a small box on the metel desk in the room. It was a small orb, very similar to the one that the Nox had given Ben, "If you need to talk to me, or vice versa, this will allow us to communicate."

"Huh?" Ben mused, "I had thought that only the Nox used these... guess I was wrong." He missed the slightly wide eyes of Loki as he put the stone in his breast pocket, "I'll make sure to keep this safe."

A slight beep souding throughout the room informed them that the body was made.

As they walked to the other side of the room, Ben's eyes widened as he found himself looking at living clone of Loki. It wasn't moving or anything like that, but Ben could tell that would not be the case for long.

Loki pressed a button on the table that the clone laid on and watched as reading appeared in front of him. A small smile indicated his pleasure, "It worked... we now have a way to fend of the genetic degradation that my people suffer from."

He turned to Ben, "You have my gratitude." He bowed his head in absolute respect, "Thanks to you, my people can now hope for a bright future."

* * *

Jack grit his teeth as he rammed the Unas, pushing its body into the red energy field. A part of him wished that Ben was doing the hard work instead of him, but he knew that was just his laziness talking.

"Teal'c!" Jack screamed at the top of his lungs as he tried to kill the beast in front of him. It had some sort of regeneration that made it very hard to kill. So, being the smart person he was, he tried to fry it in the hopes of killing every cell in its body. Comic logic dictated that if there was nothing left, then there was nothing to regenerate from.

Easier said than done.

Teal'c joined Jack in pushing the Goa'uld, but the thing did not want to go down. In fact, it felt like it was growing stronger with every second that passed.

"Sir!" He faintly heard, was it just him or did that sound a lot like Sam? He spared a glance at the barrier and noticed the rest of the team, except Ben, on the other side, aiming their guns at the field, "Just hold on for a bit longer!"

Teal'c grunted, "That won't work Captain," With a final push, they managed to shove the creature into the middle of the barrier. The screams that it released were horrifying, but knowing what it had done, not undeserved.

From the other side, Sam and Daniel shot at the creature and watched as the bullets pierced through the barrier and into the creature. They didn't let up until they were certain that it was dead.

"You guys ok?" Sam was the first to ask the question as she reloaded her gun. Even if it was dead, who knew how many more were in that well.

Jack grunted, "As fine as we can be." He looked at the cave in something short of anger, "The sooner we can get Teal'c out, the better."

* * *

Ben frowned as a beam of light surrounded him, his hand covering his eyes from the blinding sight.

After finishing some final things with Loki, the Asgard offered Ben some technology as a sign of his appreciation. He had kindly refused the offer, but the Asgard wasn't willing to take that for an answer. He pushed and prodded until Ben had finally relented and accepted one of the many things that Loki had offered him.

If he had been his younger self, he would have been jumping with excitement at so many gifts, but he had grown a lot since those days. Now he was older, more mature. He had made Loki promise that he would talk to his people about making an alliance with Earth.

"Ben!" Jack shouted as the light faded, his gun falling to his side. He approached the younger man with an excited grin, "Where the hell have you been?" He would have asked more questions, but he just wanted to go home now and have a nice cold beer, maybe even watch the game that he had recorded on his VCR.

Ben chuckled, "Let's just say that I met Thor's brother." He didn't miss the sudden excitement that sprouted on Daniel's face, "Later Daniel. Right now, I just want to get some sleep or something."

He never noticed the sudden hand that reached for the side of his head. "Ouch!" He exclaimed as a soft, but hard, hand tugged on his ear. He looked to see the miffed look on Sam's face.

"You have some serious explaining to do when we get back to the base." Sam exclaimed as she let go of Ben's ear. Here she was thinking that he could stay out of trouble, but no... he was just a younger version of Jack. Both of them couldn't keep their noses clean.

Ben nursed his now red ear, "Yes man," It would be a bitch to explain, but if it kept Sam from pulling his ear again, it would be worth it. Looking around, he noticed Teal'c and Daniel standing together.

"What's up with them?"

Jack's smile failed, "We may have found a way to save Daniel's wife... but we had to destroy it to get Teal'c out of a trap made for the Goa'uld."

"Oh... wow." Ben didn't really know what to say to that. A part of him felt guilty for not being their, after all... he could have probably probably gotten Teal'c out without destroying whatever the device was, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't worry about it Ben." Daniel spoke up with a kind smile, "I was the one that made the choice in the end." He grinned at the slightly younger man, "Besides, we have the next best thing right here." He put his arm around Ben's shoulder as Sam activated the GDO attached to her ballistic vest.

Seeing the wormhole open, the team walked into it ready to relax for the rest of the day on Earth.

* * *

 **This is a short chapter I know. But it took such a long time to get out that I felt that I owed you something. Normally I wouldn't feel like that, but it's a new year. And I really don't like making people wait for a year.**

 **Anyhow, I hope you enjoy and leave a review. I want lot's of reviews, so much in fact that they could make babies.**

 **Also, some people have asked me if the pairing is Ben and Sam. I won't answer that** **question** **just yet, but I'm curious as to what pairing most of your guys want.**

 **Also why you think the pairing is Ben and Sam.**


	5. Chapter 5

_**A new chapter after a year.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

Vilgax chuckled as he sat in his cell, his hands trapped behind his back. The metal cuffs on them prevented him from using any of his powers, even stripping him of his naturally enhanced strength.

His red eyes watched the numerous people stationed all around his transparent prison. They'd made the cell just for him, something that he found flattering. He'd make sure to thank them by killing and ripping them all apart. He would rip their spines out and squish their heads in between his massive hands. And just as the life left their eyes, he would make sure to have Hex curse their souls to never find peace.

After all, that was the only gift that he could give them for their 'generous' hospitality.

"So, here we are," A soft voice spoke as red eyes stared into electric blue, "You in a jail cell, one that you can't escape from." The man that spoke had a bulky build and short cropped hair of the sandy blond variety.

He wore the official uniform of all Plumbers, a golden badge on his chest with three stripes on the front of it. His form was strict and proper, showing no signs of weakness. But his eyes... oh his eyes. They told a different story. There was a pain in those beautiful eyes of his.

"You took someone precious to us." The man said in a soft tone, "You took someone that was like a shepherd to us and you sent him away." The man leaned forward slightly, "And we want you to know... we will never forgive you for that."

Vilgax paused, a strange look on his face. Forgiveness? That actually made him want to laugh. He didn't want any such thing, in fact, he wanted them to hate him, to want to rip his guts out.

It would make it all the sweeter when he killed them and their families.

"I didn't want your forgiveness in the first place," Vilgax told the Plumber, his eyes glowing with malice and insanity. The once genius war-lord was nothing more than a rabid cur now, "What I want is for Ben Tennyson to suffer. To watch as I rip his loved ones apart, as my claws dig into their innards and grip their spines." A blissful smile appeared on his face, "Could you imagine it? The sheer pain that I would, and did, inflict on him?"

The man sighed as he pressed a button on the side of the cage. He didn't even bother to look away as electricity surged through the floor of the cell and into Vilgax. His screams brought no one any peace or pleasure. It was just a way to shut the bastard up.

"Hehe," Vilgax managed to chuckle through the agonizing pain, "You resort to pain when you want something... just like me." He lurched forward and tried to smash the glass with his body... something that did not work. In fact, it just added to his pain.

No one moved to help him, choosing to let him suffer for as long as possible. How could they show love to one who killed entire worlds for fun? There was no sense to it.

The man sighed as he stopped the flow of electricity, "While I would love to see you die an agonizing pain, that is not the Plumber way." He turned away from Vilgax, "You will be put on trial, to be judged by your fellow men. They will be the ones to decide your fate."

The room was silent as the man stopped speaking, his cold eyes watching the fallen warlord. The only sound made was the sound of someone approaching. If the time was to be the guiding factor, then it was the officer to replace his watch.

"Looks like you've given him quite the beating, Mr. Cooper." The officer commented, though no one had yet seen his face. His voice was jovial, and yet for some reason, very familiar. There was a strange sharpness to it as if his voice was made of time itself. How peculiar.

Daniel Cooper sighed as he turned around to face the officer, "You're late-UGH!" His blue eyes went wide as he found a purple hand wrapped around his throat, the grip of the man crushing his windpipe.

"Do you know how long I have been waiting for you to look at me?" The man asked with barely concealed annoyance. His face was covered by a semi-transparent mask that had a purple glow to it.

Daniel gripped the hand as he tried to pry it open and release himself. From the back of his mind, the part that wasn't panicking wondered why no one was helping him.

"I mean... who do you think you are?" The glow in the helmet died down as the visor slid up, revealing emerald green eyes, "It's not like you're the only one with a life. Some of us have places to be, timelines to destroy, and people to kill."

Daniel couldn't believe who was in front of him. Those eyes... there was only one person with eyes like that... and he was about to die at his hands. Tears came to his eyes, "I see... so this is how things end for me?"

The man said nothing as he raised his other hand, a purple glow surrounding it. He rested the hand on Daniel's face and whispered one word to the air, " _Age._ " With that sole word, Daniel's body returned to that which it was made of... fine gray dust.

"Now," The man smiled as he stepped over the dust, his eyes shining with insanity and something that screamed wicked intelligence, "Who's next?"

* * *

 _ **Stargate Reality**_

* * *

"So," Ben smiled as he took a sip of his strawberry smoothie, "You gotta admit... it's fun doing this." He'd heard about their adventure in bringing back Earnest Littleford. He didn't know the whole story behind it, but he had seen the emotional scene as a husband got to kiss his wife and vice-versa.

Sam was the first to speak, a beautiful smile on her face as she stared at her hands. Ben wasn't wrong... it was fun, but there was something else to it. Something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. But she'd eventually figure it out.

For now, though, she would settle for fun.

"Well," She started, "You're not wrong. Although I could do without the naked man trying to hug me." She pointed to the older man that was sitting at a separate table, his bald head reflecting the artificial lighting.

Ben snorted as he turned to Jack, "What about you Jack? You like the hero business?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders as he took a bite of his burger. Doing what he did... it wasn't an option for him. He did it because he had to, because of there not being enough people in the world that would risk their lives for the sake of the planet.

Besides, fishing was way better.

"Ignore Jack," Daniel rolled his eyes at his friend, the man just couldn't stop eating, "I, on the other hand, think that it's an amazing feeling helping people. Knowing that I'm able to make a person's life, no matter who it is, better by my actions gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I may not get a trophy for it... but I know what I did and I'm happy with just that."

Ben looked away, "Actually, where I come from... most heroes get sponsorships and medals for saving the world." The shame that he felt was evident to the group. He gave Daniel a sorry look, "Sorry man."

Jack nearly choked on the piece of burger that he was eating, "I'm sorry... but are you saying that you get paid to do what you do?" Man... now he was wondering how much he would get paid if he lived there.

"Not really." Ben shrugged his shoulders as he took another sip of his drink, "By Plumber regulation, I am bound by a code of conduct that prevents me from getting paid for doing my job. Although there have been a few movies about me... and get this... they don't have me play the main character."

The way he said it made his teammates laugh, though Teal'c didn't join in. He didn't understand what was so funny about that statement. The Tauri species were truly a strange people.

"Horrible," Daniel grinned as he took off his glasses to clean them.

Ben rolled his eyes, "You really don't know the half of it." He still remembered that one movie that he was invited to... ended up with another world-threatening disaster.

They all paused as the stone in Ben's shirt pocket started glowing, a bright green light blinding them slightly. It had been a while since they'd seen that particular rock. It made him wonder if the Nox were ready to make a formal treaty to unite their people in an alliance. God knew that they needed it.

The ability to resurrect the dead, or whatever it was that the alien people did, would be a valuable asset in the progression of humanities ascent to the stars. Loved ones would no longer have to be separated from each other.

He knew that while he had the power to do the same thing, he couldn't afford to be so reckless with all that power. Every day he had to fight his innate desire to turn into Alien X and revive everyone that had been killed by Vilgax, but what would he have to pay for that to happen? Bellicus and Serena, while powerless on their own, were required to be in agreement with him if they wanted to pass any form of motions. Without them, he would just be a beautiful statue, useless to everyone.

"Well, I guess that's my cue." Ben stood up with a small sigh and adjusted his green BDU shirt, giving a soft smile to Jack, Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c, "If you need me, I'll be with the good General ironing out the details for our treaty, or something like that."

He waved to the team as he walked out the door that leads into the cafeteria, going down the path that he knew would take him to General Hammond. It was time to get to work and make some true contributions to the team.

That didn't include the new weapons that all SG teams carried with them when they went off world. Who would have guessed that rings that turn into guns would be popular with the masses?

Still... there was far too much that needed to be done before he could consider his debt to humanity paid.

* * *

"So," General Hammond started as he looked at the ten-page dossier on his desk with a small frown, "To be blunt... this won't work." He pushed the large stack of papers back to Ben, "The treaty leaves far too much room for interpretation on both sides. We need something, according to the president, that will make sure that both sides don't try to screw each other."

Ben rubbed the back of his head. That had not been what he was expecting. He'd worded it in such a way so that the treaty could be improved upon in later times... but to think that the president thought that one side would try to screw the other over... that was something else.

But it was a logical fear, Ben admitted to himself. This was not his world, no matter how much he wished it was. Humanity had not evolved to such a point that they could be trusted with advanced alien technology.

He took the papers with a small sigh, "So what changes would you suggest then?"

Hammond had been thinking about that for a while. That was the question that needed answering before Ben went off with the delegation party. He was the one that would be acting on the behalf of the President of the United States and as such would need to know the President's thoughts on the matter.

"Well, for one thing, I personally think that you should add in a clause that allows for both sides to come to the table and change the treaty when needed. And, when one party needs help, the other will come to their aid and offer whatever help they can."

That sounded very reasonable to Ben, in fact, that was how most treaties worked in his world. He was happy to see that some people were more than just greedy and that there was a genuine interest in others, no matter how faint it was.

"I'll make sure to add those in," The young man stated, "But I think we should keep the part where failure to provide aid allows for the immediate compensation of the hurt party."

"I don't disagree with that, but maybe we should make it so that it allows for relations to increase, not damage them," Hammond suggested. During his time in the military, he had seen far too many conflicts form because one side had to pay the other in recompense, "The Nox are currently our most advanced allies and the destruction of our 'friendship' would be catastrophic for us."

He didn't want to see humanity and the Nox alienated because of a failure to abide by the treaty.

The two men sat in silence as they imagined what life would be like if the treaty failed to take hold. It was not a very pretty thought... but they knew that if push came to shove, they could learn to manage.

"Be honest with me... do you think this alliance will work out?" Hammond asked, wanting Ben's opinion on the matter.

Ben paused as he got out of his seat, his green eyes narrowed in thought. That was a question that even he wasn't certain about. There was so much that they didn't know about the Nox.. but apparently, they were allies with the race that built the Stargates. That fact alone made the alliance very important, which was why he had asked General Hammond to keep it on the down low.

"To be honest?" Ben asked, getting a nod from Hammond, "I think it has the potential... but for now, we have a long way to go before it's set in stone."

Hammond laughed slightly, "I thought so." He motioned to the door, "You can go and get ready for the mission with the Nox." He watched as the much younger man walked out, "And Ben?"

"Yeah?" The Hero stopped to answer.

"Do your best out there." Hammond gave Ben a sincere smile, "I don't know everything about you... but I know that you have the potential to do anything once you've set your mind to it. So this treaty and our relations with the Nox... well I'm certain you'll be able to make it something great."

That... that made Ben smile. He appreciated the trust that Hammond was showing him, even if he had no reason to do so.

* * *

"You ready?" Daniel asked with a small grin as walked with Ben to the gate room, a stack of papers in his arms. The two of them had been chatting since they'd gotten changed together, even though they were heading for two different missions.

Where Daniel was going to meet up with Jack to try and convince him to talk to the General regarding increased funding, Ben was heading to the Nox homeworld, Gaia to finalize the treaty with the alien race.

Ben smiled as he adjusted his fancy blue jacket, "As ready as one can be."

"I hope you have everything you need Ben," Daniel said in a friendly tone, though there was the barest hint of warning. He didn't want Ben to leave Earth unprepared.

He'd seen good men die because they were unprepared.

"Don't worry," Ben slapped Daniel on the back, "I never leave home without the Omnitrix... even if I could."

The laugh that the two shared was short, but it raised both their moods to a higher level than what it was before. They both knew that their job was dangerous and there was always a chance that a friend would not come back.

It was a somber thought... but it was one that they had to live with.

Ben though... he knew what it was like to lose a friend... and family. To see your entire life destroyed by a madman.

" _And here I thought that you had gotten over that,_ " The voice commented idly, " _Do you not have new friends in this world?_ "

The young man refused to answer, knowing that the strange voice was right. He did have a new family, so to speak, in this reality and he would do whatever it took to keep them safe. He'd even break his own code and access his more powerful aliens, or what he called World Destroyers if he had to.

He smiled at Daniel, shook his hand, and walked towards the Gate Room, where the rest of the diplomatic team was. If the time on his watch, the real one, was to be trusted, then he was running late by a few minutes.

"Be seeing you," Ben gave that parting comment as the two of them went their separate ways.

* * *

"We ready?" Ben asked as he secured the folder in his hands to his chest. He gave a smile to some of the soldiers as he checked himself over, making sure that the Omnitrix and his weapons were ready to go in case he needed them.

The first person to speak was a woman with short blond hair, much like Samantha's but wilder, "We are, though I'm curious as to just who you are." She paused as she realized that she hadn't given her name. She stuck her hand out for a handshake with a small sign, "My name is Elizabeth Weir, the leader of this diplomatic team."

The way that she said it made it clear that she expected everyone to follow her orders. It was a shame that she didn't know people like Jack or Ben. There was no way in the seven hells that they would submit to someone who followed the law of the rule and not the heart of it.

"Ben Tennyson," He shook her hand with a small smile, "Acting liaison for the President of the United States." He ignored the rather shocked looks, so what if he was rather young. He knew what it was to be a ruler and he knew what the President wanted... after all... it wasn't that long ago that they had dinner together.

Apparently, the man was a big fan of sci-fi and wanted to have dinner with an inter-dimensional traveler. All in all, they'd had a very good dinner and Ben revealed something to the man that he hadn't revealed to anyone else... not even to his team. He knew that Jack and Sam would be pissed beyond belief when it came time to reveal the truth... but that was a trial for another time.

For now, though, he would do his best to keep it a secret for as long as possible.

"Ah," Elizabeth frowned slightly, though she did her best to hide it, "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tennyson." There was something about the man that confused her... something that she wasn't quite certain about.

Plus that watch that he wore was interesting as hell. It wasn't like any other that she had seen before... but then again, she hadn't seen aliens before. So maybe the watch was something from another planet? It would be rather interesting to see if it had any other functions besides telling the time.

"Well then," Ben smiled as he clasped his hands together, "Why don't we get this party on the road, so to speak, and head to the Nox homeworld?" He could see the final chevron locking into place, causing the wormhole to shoot out in a loud _whoosh_.

Deciding to have some fun, he didn't bother waiting for the rest of the team or his 'leader'. Instead, he ran straight ahead into the wormhole, leaving Elizabeth fuming in frustration.

* * *

 _ **Gaea - Nox Homeworld**_

* * *

When he re-appeared, he found that the winds were blowing strongly and that the rain was pouring like cats and dogs. He could even hear the thunder that was on the horizon.

"Come." Lya, his guide, calmly stated as she made the rain around them disappear. It always astounded him how they used their powers. At first, he had thought that they were just turning things invisible... but no.

He'd learned, after a bit of studying, that they were actually creating a pocket dimension around the object when they used their powers. He was hoping to get in some training with his Nox form, Nyx, while he was here and how to use his abilities properly.

"How is Opher?" Ben asked in an attempt to make conversation and out of curiosity. He hadn't heard from the man in a while and it had concerned him. He'd only known him for a day... but he already considered him to be one of his most precious of friends. The elder had a wisdom to him that very few people had, either human or alien.

Opher reminded him of his grandpa Max with how he talked and walked. Always trying to find the best in people, but never afraid to take a firm stand for what they believe in.

God... Ben's heart ached for the man that had become like a father to him. But he knew that Max would not be coming back... not unless he used the power of Alien X. That, though, was something that he would not do. He had vowed to never use the power of a god unless it was a true emergency.

Lya smiled as she continued to walk towards the floating city that was over the mountain. She had already sent for a group of Nox to meet Ben's team and to help them find their way to the meeting place. She had, though, made plans to meet Ben and to get him ready for the meeting.

"Opher is quite well." She assured Ben. She could tell that the young human had made a connection, one that was more than just a friendship, with the oldest member of their species, "He is actually excited to meet you after the treaty talks. He apparently has something that he wants to ask of you."

That was good news for Ben. The smile on his face widened just a fraction more, but it was enough to bring a smile to Lya's own face.

"I will be more than happy to see him and the others after this," Ben told her with a soft smile, one that was filled with sincerity and kindness. It was something that he could not leave Gaia without doing.

As they continued walking, Ben allowed himself to enjoy the sights, something that he had not been able to do the last time that he was there. The peace that the planet experienced was something that he had been fighting for a long time... and it made him glad to see that it was actually possible. It showed him that people could be united, no matter their species, towards a cause that was worth fighting for, although he suspected that the Nox had come together under a different reasoning.

"It's quite like you think," Lya revealed, not at all ashamed about the fact that she had been reading his mind, "Our people came together because of our love for the planet and the creatures that live on it. We couldn't bear to think of all the pain that they would suffer if we couldn't get past our prejudices and hatred." She gazed into Ben's green eyes and her smile grew just a tad inch bigger, "And hopefully, with our help, your people can learn to come together as we have."

Ben shook his head, "While that is something that I would love to see, I don't think we'd be able to adopt the same lifestyle as you. Our hearts are too big for us to just watch from the sidelines... it would cause us too much heartache." He gestured to the watch on his wrist, "It's why I haven't taken this off. As long as there are other people suffering out there in the cosmos, I can never allow myself to rest easy."

Thinking about it... maybe that was why his marriage had failed to truly make him and his mate happy? It would certainly explain quite a few things that Julie had told him before she tried to kick him out of his own house. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to forget those miserable days. It was long gone and he couldn't do anything to change it now.

They came to a stop as they saw a raging river before them, one that was so ferocious that Ben was not willing to try and cross it in human form. He raised his hand to use the Omnitrix, but Lya stopped him. She merely smiled and gestured for him to follow her as she actually made the water disappear. He refrained from asking how she had done that and merely focused on trying to get to the other side before Lya was forced to release the waters and all the creatures that were in it.

"Thank you," He told Lya with a sincere tone. While she didn't have to do that, he appreciated the thought behind it. It wasn't often that one was willing to use their own powers for others, even if it was something as simple as retrieving a cat from a tree. While Lya didn't say anything in response, the smile that she returned to him was more than enough to get her unsaid response across to him.

Once more there was silence as they walked out of the empty river bed, Lya still ahead of him. They had to grab onto various rocks and edges so as to get out without falling back down into the muddy ground. While Lya might not have a problem with that, Ben knew he couldn't afford to get his blue suit dirty. It was the only one that he had that he could wear to the meeting. For some reason, he'd not thought about carrying a spare change of clothes and now he was going to pay for it if he even made the slightest wrong move.

Still, he couldn't say that he wasn't enjoying himself. It wasn't often that he got to climb rocks and walk through rivers, so to speak, like an animal. He would just have to remember to wash up before he went into the meeting with the rest of his team and the Nox council. First opinions were everything after all.

"We'll soon be there." Lya told him, "I recommend getting yourself ready. Once you step foot in our city, you will be taken to the court of the elders to present the treaty that will unite our species. You will also be given ten of your human minutes to freshen up so that you are presentable in the face of our rulers."

Ben nodded his head as he narrowed his green eyes in thought. This was it. This was the moment that they had been preparing for. He wasn't going to allow those four months of prep to go to waste.

* * *

 _ **Stargate Command - Earth**_

* * *

Jack frowned as he stared at the group of alien-humans before him, his patience slowly evaporating the longer that he talked to them. Why couldn't they get the point that he and his team had saved them from certain death? For whatever reason, they were being extremely arrogant and refusing to take shelter with some of their allies, all because they were too primitive.

"I find it hard to believe that a species as primitive as yours could decipher the gate system." The man, a much older gentleman, told them without any tact. Despite the regal look on his face, his comment showed him to be more like a demon than a king. Where was Ben or Daniel when you needed them? They had a talent that Jack lacked in spades. Maybe they could get a kinder response from the man?

Sam frowned as she crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised in challenge, "Excuse me?" She wanted to hear what he had said more clearly... and maybe punch him in the face if his comment had not changed. She ignored the warning look from Jack, her hands slightly lowering, as her blue eyes met Omac's in a battle of wills. She wasn't going to allow a stuck up man to belittle her species... even if what he said had a grain of truth in it.

Omac said nothing as he simply put the air mask back on, his eyes staring into her own with a defiance that could be found more in a child than a grown man. It was obvious to everyone, even the other alien visitors, that this man was not going to make matters easy for them.

Jack shook his head as he gently put his hand on Sam's shoulder, preventing her from getting into a fight with the man. Oh, he wished that he could allow her to, but it would only make future relations with them far more tense if Sam punched the arrogant man in the face. "Come on," He told her with a sigh, "We have some more important matters to get to rather than wasting our time with a senile old man."

Sam held her hand to her mouth so as to hide the giant smile on her face. Trust Jack to know how to annoy all the wrong people, although in this case, it was a good thing. She turned away and walked out of the room before she made an unsightly sight and started laughing. Jack might not have had a problem with it, but she did. She was still a member of the air-force and that meant that she had to keep to a certain level of professionalism.

Jack shook his head slightly, though there was a slight smile on his face. He did pause, though, as he saw General Hammond walk into the room, followed by a man in a blue uniform.

"How are the people doing?" Hammond asked in a stern voice, his dark eyes, meeting Jack's for a split second. That short burst of time was more than enough to tell him what he needed to know, "That bad?" This was going to be harder than he thought.

Jack shrugged, "Well they're being a bit of a pain in the ass, but otherwise, there seems to be nothing wrong with them physically." He shot Omac a nasty look, "Although I'm starting to wonder if this one here was hit on the head as a child. He won't listen to reason, or as he would put it, our inferior brand of knowledge."

The man that had walked into the room, one who could be called handsome to some extent, raised an eyebrow in interest as he got a good luck at Omac's suit, noting the rather strange sheen that seemed to coat it. He touched it, ignoring the scathing glare from Omac, and smiled as he noticed the texture of said suit. Very interesting.

"And you say these guys are not completely human?" He asked with a raised eyebrow... very interesting. It would be quite fun to dissect them and see what it was that made them tick. Maybe even get their hands on some of the obvious tech that they were wearing. He had a feeling that it was something that would make everything else that they had been working on look like child's place... well except maybe Ben's tech. Now that was something that they were still trying to get their hands on. Ben was such a stingy bastard when it came to sharing it outside of the SGC. Apparently, he had morals that prevented him from selling it to people who wanted to use them for their own gain.

This new alien tech was sure to have some rather valuable applications that would make his benefactors happy.

Jack whistled, drawing the attention of the stranger away from Omac and his clothes. He didn't like that rather greedy look in the man's eyes. He'd faced too many people like that and he wasn't going to face it while these aliens were under their protection. "Can we help you?" He asked in a respectful tone, but also one that was filled with a sense of disregard for the man's many golden pins. So what if he had served in the Air Force for who knows how long. In Jack's book, his respect had to be earned... not owed.

"As far as we can tell, their DNA has some obvious differences from ours. As if at some point in their history, they mated with other species." Hammond explained to the man, "As such... until we are certain that they are not a threat to the well being of this base and the rest of humanity, they will be staying here under strict quarantine."

The man frowned... that was going to put a hamper in his plans. His bosses were expecting the alien visitors to be back at home base within the day... but if what Hammond was saying was true... then they couldn't leave until the people had been cleared by the SGC. Even he wasn't going to try and push the issue. The safety of the human race was far more important than acquiring more technology. Besides... he could wait until they'd been cleared and then take them. Time was not an issue, no matter how much others might argue the case.

He looked at Jack and then Hammond before simply smiling, "Well let me know when they're cleared. I'd like to have a word with Omac and his friends. In the meantime, I wish to have a good look at this rather impressive place." He saluted Hammond and gave a respectful nod to Jack before walking out of the room.

Jack frowned as he crossed his hands across his chest. He didn't like being ignored... it was one of the many pet peeves that he had earned during his time in the regular Air Force. Besides... he had asked a question that had deserved a proper answer.

"Don't think too much about it, Jack" Hammond smiled at his trusted colonel, "The man has been like that since he got here. I don't expect that you'll be getting any better treatment from him."

A sigh escaped Jack's mouth as he started to walk out of the room, "I figured... still would be nice to not be ignored, you know?" He stuffed his hands into the pocket of his green pants, giving Omac a final look before leaving the two older men to have a conversation about the rules of hospitality.

* * *

 _ **Gaea - Nox Homeworld**_

* * *

Opher, the eldest of the Nox, smiled as he walked through the hallowed grounds of the Nox capital city. In his right hand was a wooden staff that had flowers sprouting from the top, the same type of flowers that could be found in his own hair. His mind, while still in his head, was connecting with that of everyone that he passed, except for the humans. Their lack of understanding meant that they would not react appropriately if they found out their thoughts were not private.

He gave one of the humans that he passed by a knowing smirk... their awe was very evident even without having to use his empathy. For many of them, it was their first time seeing a true alien and as such, he would do his best to live up to their expectations. After all, being to a new world for the first time was an experience that was meant to be treasured and remembered for all time.

The smile on his face widened as he saw Nafrayu poking his head out from his hiding spot, his eyes wide with curiosity. He winked at the young child, putting his index finger to his lips. That was a human expression that both he and Nafrayu had picked up from the human visitors. It meant that he would stay quiet and not tell anyone that he had seen him, but only as long as the child stayed safe. It was a little deal that they had, he knew that a child should have full rights to explore the world that he had been born into.

"Good morning, Opher," Anteaus smiled as he approached his mentor, a laurel of leaves on his head. The branches that were attached to his head had been trimmed down slightly so as to not alarm the human visitors. The robe that he wore was parted at chest level so as to allow the leaves that were on his chest, having grown down from his head, to absorb some of the light from Helios, the star that was at the center of their stellar system.

"And to you as well, Anteaus," Opher spoke with a soft tone of voice as he walked side by side with the much younger man, "How are the preparations going for the council meeting?"

"Very well."

Opher smiled at that. It was pleasing to his ears to hear how his people were getting ready for a meeting that would change the fate of two planets and the species that lived on it. He'd personally pleaded for this meeting, explaining to the council as to why this was a needed course of action. It had been a long tiring battle, but eventual his reasoning had won out over theirs.

The two men smiled as they saw Benjamin walking towards them, his attention deeply engrossed with that of a tall blond woman, though there seemed to be some tension visible between them. Only time would tell what caused said tension, but for now, they would leave it alone and let the two humans work it out themselves. They had stopped interfering in the nature of humanity a very long time ago. Although... if this treaty really did work out... they might start doing so again, only this time they would not have to hide who they really were.

Poor Socrates... he was too young to have that happen to him. They'd tried to tell him that the humans were not ready for the knowledge that he had wished to impart upon them... but as they had told SG-1... the young do not always do as they are told. Still... it was nice to see that some people valued what one of their own had done for them.

Opher being the oldest was the first to reach out, not with his mind as he would do with his own people, but with his very physical hand, "It is good to see you, Benjamin. Have the Fates treated you well?"

Ben turned away from the woman, the frown on his face is replaced by a soft smile, "They have been more than generous," He drew the older, shorter, man into a hug that showed just how he felt about him. It had been far too long since both men, one far older than any other being amongst the small group, had seen each other, "But the real question that should be asked is how are _you_?"

Opher laughed, though it was a laugh that seemed to be filled with something other than humor, "That is a question that is not so easily answered. You know who I am... what I am... and yet you still think to ask how I am? You are someone special to show concern for someone that you should have no bother with caring about. My judgment of you has yet to fail me." He looked to Anteaus and gestured for him to block Elizabeth's mind. Once he was certain that their conversation would not be remembered, he continued, "What you have told me of your world has left me at a pause, so to speak, in what we can do to help you. I am in favor of it, with some minor changes, but the others will not be as easy to convince. They are firmly set in their beliefs that they should not interfere with the progress of the rest of the universe, especially with one as young as yours."

"Shall we blame them?" Antaeus asked with a raised eyebrow as he followed Opher and Benjamin, "They have not seen what we have... they have not peered into the mind of one who was not made from the same material as us. Their fear and reluctance are to be expected, patéras, let us allow them this for the moment." He gestured to the people that walk before them, mostly Nox with a human or two mixed in, "This world that we have made is one that we as a whole are not willing to risk by returning to the galactic stage... you must understand this Benjamin."

And understand he did. He had fought for humanity since he was ten years old, so he understood the desire to protect them at all costs. He sighed as he crossed his hands behind his head. He looked at the second oldest Nox and gave him a look, one that promised conviction and maybe a lot of pain, "Then I'll have to convince them the old-fashioned way."

Had the threat been a serious one, both Opher and Anteaus would have been in a rush to try and stop Ben... but since it wasn't they merely laughed at the joking threat. Still, as Opher looked forward, he couldn't help but feel that something serious would have to happen for his fellow elders to even think about changing their minds.

* * *

 _ **Stargate Command - Earth**_

* * *

Sam smiled as she watched a member of the Tollan, her blue eyes filled with something that was not normally found on her face. Narim was an interesting guy and far friendlier than the other Tollan that she and Daniel had talked to. In some regards, he was more like a child that had just seen something new.

"And what is that?" He asked as he pointed to a picture of a tiger, his eyes wide with curiosity. His planet had long since lost any natural life outside of humans and plants... so this was something that was quite alien to him.

She smiled at him, "Something that can kill us if we aren't careful. It's far stronger than any human, roughly three times us, and far faster too. If you were to somehow to gain the malicious attention of one... well let's just say that you would be in the fight of your life... and chances are that it would be your last." She shook her head as she noticed his eyes widen in fear, "It's nothing to be concerned about. Tiger's as a whole tend to be rather blase towards humans." That seemed to calm him down slightly.

Narim swallowed the spit that had formed in his mouth. Earth was quite a different place when compared with Tollana. There was a primeval atmosphere to it... something that made it refreshing to him. It was a shame that Omac could not see the same thing. All the man saw was negativity, he couldn't see past his own fears, something that Narim could respect no matter how unreasonable it was.

"Your planet has quite a few differences when compared to ours, Samantha." Narim spoke carefully so as to not to offend the woman that had drawn his attention, "It appears to have far more life on it than ours ever did. You have creatures that live on both land and sea, and those who dwell in the ground that you walk on. I would even go so far as to say that this is a garden planet."

That was a term that Sam had only heard in passing. A few of the alien visitors that had the chance to visit the Earth also called it a Garden Planet... though she couldn't quite understand as to why they called it that.

Narim, seeing the confusion, smiled, "The confusion is understanding. There exist very few planets that can claim to be a garden, so a lack of knowledge is to be expected." He was hoping that by saying that, he could keep her from feeling stupid. It was a true statement, also. "But to explain what a Garden Planet is... is a very tall order, I'm afraid. I'll try my best though."

He took a seat on one of the free chairs and gestured for Sam to join him. Once she was comfortable, he started his explanation, "I'm certain that you've noticed that most of the humans that you find from other worlds tend to come from this planet. That's not by chance. Earth is one of the few planets in the galaxy, even the universe, that can support life by natural means alone. That is what it means to be a Garden Planet. Because of their rarity, they are a source of envy amongst other species, even the Goa'uld are not spared from the envy of desire. It is honestly quite shocking to hear that you have not yet been conquered by another race."

Sam leaned back into her chair, her eyes wide with awe. That... that was astounding, to be perfectly honest. She'd just learned something that she could never share with the people that she used to work within the airforce. The Earth was a jewel in the vast cosmos. The thought made her smile... now there was an even bigger reason to keep on fighting.

"I have to say that I am seriously enjoying my time on this planet," Narim added, "I never once thought in my life that I would have the chance to come and see a planet like this with my own eyes... though the accommodations could be better." He added with a little laugh at the end. He didn't want to sound ungrateful after all that they had done for him and his people. It was a debt that he could never repay... for more than one reason.

The slight roll of Sam's eyes was to be expected, "I really am sorry about that by the way. Most of our people aren't like Maybourne. He's just a special brand of idiot that we have the _pleasure_ of working with." The frown that adorned her face softened as an idea entered her head, "I gotta go and get something. A gift for you to take with you when you go back to your own planet."

Narim nodded his head and watched as she ran out of the room. He was interested as to what she would be bringing him.

* * *

 _ **Gaea - Nox Homeworld**_

* * *

Ben frowned as he activated the Omnitrix. He was upset... no angry was a better term for what he was feeling. How could they do this? He trusted them to be sensible and not fuck up a good thing. So why was he just now hearing news of some government stooge trying to take the alien visitors? He had half a mind to go and beat some sense into the agent that was pushing for this to happen.

He shook his head and looked at Opher as the two of them walked to the Stargate, just enjoying the evening night. The treaty had been signed and copied. Now both races would be able to check it over whenever they wanted to and call for a meeting if required. But for now, the treaty was a binding law code. There was no way for either party to back out without serious consequences for both parties.

"Sometimes, Opher, I regret being born human." Ben spoke with a slight frown on his face, "Humans are the only race that still suffers from wanting more. It kills me when humans can't get along with other species, all because they want to have all the power in the universe. What would be the point in that?" A part of him honestly felt like screaming and he had a feeling that no one would really blame him for that.

Opher merely smiled. He understood where Ben was coming from as he'd seen this before with other young species. It was not something that was limited to the Homo-Sapien race. All life forms wanted more for themselves and it was a tiring thing, Opher had to admit. But! It was how they learned from their mistakes and went on about their evolution that mattered, not the past. He patted Ben on the shoulder and looked at him with a fond smile.

"You humans have a very long way to go," Opher told Ben, "Your race will make many mistakes and a lot of stupid decisions. What matters is how you learn from them." He smiled as he looked the younger man in the eyes, "We trust you to be a guiding light in the world of humans. Just promise us that you won't ever forget the potential for good that they have inside of them."

Ben couldn't help but smile at the sheer optimism that Opher excluded, "I promise."

It was at about this point in time that the both of them had reached the rest of the group. They were packing up their equipment and had already started the dialing process to head back home. Some of the officers were talking with the Nox hosts, just enjoying themselves overall. It was obvious that they had enjoyed a mission where they didn't have to get shot at or escape for their lives. Really it was the simple things in life.

"It was nice seeing you again Benjamin." Opher said as he gave Ben a soft hug, "Come back and visit again. Lords above know that you of all people deserve a proper vacation." The two of them shared a good laugh together. That was a good joke. Ben knew that he wasn't going to get a vacation until the threat of the Goa'uld was fully extinguished.

"We'll see," Ben answered back. He waved to Opher and walked to the rest of the team and waited for the Stargate to finish the dialing process to finish. Once it had done so, he walked on ahead without waiting for the rest of the team. There was no reason to wait after all. He had to have a talk with Maybourne.

* * *

Stargate Command - Earth

* * *

When he came through on the other side, it was to the sight of roughly a dozen guns being trained on his form. He had to fight back a growl as he slowly walked down the ramp, his hand hovering over the already ready Omnitrix, "What exactly is going on here?" His eyes were narrowed in distaste as he watched the soldiers step back in slight fear. How pathetic. Unseen to anyone else, his eyes flashed a slight red.

"Apologies," Harold Maybourne spoke through the intercom, "They are mainly there as a precaution to prevent our visitors from leaving. They are far too valuable to allow them to leave. I'm certain you understand."

Ben actually growled as he gestured for the man to come down. He didn't care about the chain of command or the rules. Right now he was too angry to be thinking about keeping the peace. All he wanted to do right now was kick the man's ass into next year.

After Maybourne had finally made his way down to the ramp where Ben stood, he couldn't help but feel nervous as he looked into the man's emerald eyes. There was something too unnerving about them.

Ben leaned forward so that he could whisper something to the older man, "Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't beat the crap out of you for the stunt that you're trying to pull? One reason is all I need... but if I don't like it I can promise that you won't be able to sit down ever again."

The lump that formed in Maybourne's throat was evident and instead of answering... he merely turned away and walked out. Even though Ben had cowed the man, that didn't mean that the visitors were safe. They still needed to get them off the planet... and Ben had an idea as to what could be done in that regard. He walked past the armed soldiers without sparing them even the slightest of glances.

He had a team to talk to.

* * *

Omac frowned as he walked up the ramp that leads to the Stargate. Right behind him was his own team and Daniel Jackson and Ben Tennyson. Both men had insisted on making sure that they got through safely, despite Omac's objections.

They watched the rotating ring, ignoring the various soldiers that were aiming their guns at their backs. Ben stood behind them with his hand hovering over the Omnitrix as he glared at the foreign soldiers. It was obvious that he wasn't happy. In fact, livid was a better term for it. He was just waiting for them to make one dumb move so that he could tear into them.

" **Ben Tennyson and Daniel Jackson! Step aside from the subjects!** " Maybourne shouted through the intercom, " **They can not be allowed to leave. They have far too much knowledge that can be used to turn the tide against the Goa'uld.** "

Both men shared a small look, before speaking in unison, "No."

" **Then the soldiers have my full permission to engage you and re-capture the Tollan people.** " The man sneered like the greasy political snake that he was.

Ben smirked. That was all that he needed to hear. He slammed down on the core of the Omnitrix and smirked as a bright emerald light filled throughout the room. The alien that he chose was one that he was certain could be used to take down the soldiers without actually killing anyone.

 **"RATH!** "

The reactions varied as this was not a transformation that he had shown before. The Tollan were the most shocked, though, as they had not thought that the Tauri could produce such powerful technology. In fact, the Tollan themselves could not do what this Benjamin Tennyson just did. They were getting nervous now, especially Narim as he had heard about what tigers could do... and this bipedal tiger was probably just as powerful if not more so.

He gave the cat in his arms a slight pat as he tried to get closer to the gate. He didn't want to get involved with the ensuing fight.

Rath looked at the soldiers before him and snarled. It didn't take long before said soldiers started to shoot him with their guns. What fools. His skin was far too tough for such a measly weapon to affect him. In fact, if he so wanted to, he could simply just create a shockwave by crossing his two claw blades and stabbing them in the ground. He wasn't going to do that, though, as he wanted them to have a slight fighting chance.

" **I don't care what you have to do! Kill him!** " Maybourne screamed into the mike as he watched the humanoid tiger shrug of the bullets. He did not want that creature coming after him.

Rath snarled as he lunged at the soldiers and knocked them down. He put his foot on the chest of one of the soldiers and kept him from getting back up. He looked back at Maybourne, " **IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT RATH, THEN COME DOWN AND FACE RATH, HUMAN NAMED HAROLD MAYBOURNE. RATH DOES NOT TAKE KINDLY TO COWARDS!** "

They stared at each other, waiting to see who would give in first. It was not Rath. In fact, as he watched Maybourne leave, he could hear the man panicking and calling for someone to get him out of the base. That would teach the bastard a lesson that he was no doubt to forget. No one ever messed with Rath.

He looked back at the panicking faces of the Tollans and roared, " **WHAT? YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH RATH, RACE OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE EGO PROBLEMS!** " When they didn't say anything, he simply crossed his arms under his chest and smirked.

At that point, the rest of SG-1 walked into the departure room, followed by Hammond. The smirks, or slight smiles in the case of Teal'c, were wide as they took a good look at Ben's rather powerful form.

"A most impressive show of force Ben Tennyson." Teal'c complimented with a nod of his head, "He will be quite an invaluable ally in the fight against the Goa'uld." Plus the fact that he was able to shrug off bullets like they were spitballs was rather cool.

" **RATH DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK TEAL'C THE JAFFA!** " Rath shouted out with a thump on his chest, though there was a slight smirk of pride on his face.

Sam shook her head in amusement. She was going to have a lot of questions for Ben in regards to Rath... but for now, she would just enjoy the victory for what it was worth. Besides... Rath was kind of cute in a 'I'm going to tear your face off' kind of way.

"It seems that I owe your species an apology." Omac found it hard to say that, "It turns out that you are far more advanced than what we thought originally. For our rudeness, please accept our sincere apologies."

The wormhole had formed at about this point and the Tollan started walking through it to the Nox homeworld. The last two to go through were Omac and Narim. Narim hesitated to leave as he stared into Sam's blue eyes. A part of him wanted to stay behind and just get to know Samantha better, but he knew he couldn't. He gave her a small wave, one that she returned back, and walked through the gate with the cat that she had gifted him.

Omac followed behind, but not before stopping to talk to Ben, "You are a strange human. The technology required to transform into a different species is something dangerous. Please... be careful. Lower species tend to be rather careless when it comes to such things. We should know. We lost our sister planet because we so carelessly gave away our technology."

"I understand where you're coming from," Ben bowed his head in acknowledgment, though a part of him was still irritated by the guy, "I'll make sure that the technology isn't misused or anything like that, but you need to understand that not all lower species are as reckless as you think they are. Some are actually really careful and have a good master of technology."

Omac said nothing as he walked through the Stargate. Ben had given him a lot to think about.

"Good job, son." Hammond praised Ben once the Stargate had shut down, "Why don't you go and rest for a bit. You've done enough for today and I think you've earned some time off."

"Thank you!" Ben cheered slightly as he walked to go and get a shower and then a really long nap. He was so going to enjoy it for as long as possible. He stuck his tongue out at Sam and Jack, enjoying their slightly jealous looks. But the murderous look in Sam's eyes had him changing his tune as he quickly ran out so that he could avoid her wrath.

* * *

 _ **Finally.**_

 _ **This chapter is done. I had fun writing it but certain parts were a real killer on me. I hope you guys have fun reading this.**_

 _ **I want to thank everyone that has followed faved and left a review. I don't do shout-outs but I do pm those who leave reviews that I like. Just this once, I'll do a shout out or two.**_

 _ **1:**_ ** _reddog24485 - Nice profile picture and thanks for the review. To answer your question, yeah. Wouldn't be Ben Ten without Alien X._**

 ** _2: Armiture - I'm thankful that you decided to take the time to check my story out. I hope you plan to continue following it._**

 ** _3: Bisaster - Yeah that was a slight mistake on my part. I changed back the rating._**

 ** _To all my other fans - I can't believe it took me a year to write a single chapter. I don't plan on giving this up... I just write really slow lol._**


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